The Next Generation
by Libquedation
Summary: Going on heists, shooting, getting shot, eating, sleeping. That sums up my life, the life of Alexa Jane Cobb, daughter of a fierce mercenary and an Alliance trained assassin.
1. Ninjas

I strode into the cargo bay wearing my workout clothes which consisted of a black tank top that abruptly stopped at my ribs, black shorts and a blue jacket that I had zipped up.

I sat down on a crate and watched my three best friends work out. The two boys were by my dad's weights and the girl was executing dance moves on the blue mat. I laughed as she tried to do a high kick and promptly fell on her butt.

"Like you could do any better Alexa!" I smirked as Marla shot me a sharp retort.

"Oh, yes I can." I snapped my leg up, performing a high kick that almost whacked me in the head. Marla grumbled and I went over and extended my hand, which she gladly took.

Marla Serra Washburne is the only other girl on this ship. She is older than me by eight months. At this moment, she is fifteen like me. She has her mom's hair and skin, but in a lighter tone, but her dad's eyes shine back at us.

Marla's humor is that of her dad, and she is a good pilot and excellent shot as well. The thing that I found pretty funny was that she loved her dad's dinosaurs.

"Great kick cuz!" cried Jack from the weights. Jack Malcolm Tam is my cousin. He has engine smarts and medicine smarts like both his parents. He isn't helpless in fights, but he is not the best by a long shot. Jake looks a lot like his dad, but has his mom's eyes and hair, just not quite as long. He also is no good with girls, even though Marla and I are the only ones his age.

Jake is younger than me by a month. He just turned fifteen last week.

"Hey a little help here!" I watched, amused, as Jake snapped back to reality and lifted the weights off of Max's chest.

Max Wash Reynolds is the last kid on this ship. He is older than me by five days. Stupid _hun dan. _Anyways, Max looks like his dad but has his mom's eyes. He is a good shooter and alright combat fighter. Let me tell you, he has a weird sense of humor, but can be stoic like his mom at times. Max also can lie on the spot just like any of us can.

Being the daughter of an Alliance trained assassin and a mercenary; I am the best fighter on this boat. My aim is never off and my dad says I am just as flexible as my mom. I love to dance around, and Marla says that I am very good at it. Unfortunately, I am also clumsy. I run into things all the time and trip many a time.

I am taller than my mom by like an inch and have brown hair like her. I have my dad's eyes though.

I sat down on a crate and pulled of my shoes. I also unzipped my jacket and stood up, walking over to the mat.

"Finally going to join us are you?" Jake cheekily asked me. I glared at him.

"Hey, it was my turn to do the dishes!" I retorted. I saw his eyes flick down to my scar. I rolled my eyes and glared at everyone.

"Uncle Simon said I am fully healed so there." You see, about a month ago, Mal had gotten a job. I had gone with, and in the middle of a gunfight, a dagger had cut across me. Running in a thin line from my right shoulder to my left hip ran a pale line. It wasn't thick and lay flat on me.

"Whatever." Marla said, executing a somersault and ending it with a sharp jab. "Let's spar, like, now please." I smiled and ran over to Marla.

We circled each other. I made the first move, hitting her in between the ribs. Marla let out a groan, and whirled to meet my side with a scissor kick. I hissed and retaliated with an uppercut to her chin.

Marla fell backwards onto the mat, but in a moment had flipped her hands under her and kicked out, knocking my legs from under me. As I landed, I hit with my hands and did a flip, kicking Marla on my way up.

"No fair!" she cried from the ground. "You always beat me!"

"Maybe it's because I have the skills of a ninja!" I yelled while pretending to be a ninja from Earth-That-Was. Marla let out a peal of laughter and I giggled along. I noticed the boys glance over and they too let out a laugh at my awkward attempt at being a ninja.

"What is wrong with you Alexa?" I whipped my head up to see Malcolm Reynolds standing on the catwalk, his piercing eyes scrutinizing my movements.

"Uh, nothing Captain Tight Pants." Aunt Kaylee had told me all about his adventures in too tight pants.

"Right. Well no more. You'll wind up breaking something and I'm not going to pay for it. By the way, chow's in ten." With that Mal turned and walked away.

"Captain No-Fun!" I called after him. I laughed as his back tensed up and then he continued on his way.

I walked over to where I had placed my favorite combat boots and jacket, zipping up and throwing on my shoes.

"Race ya." Max said. I shook my head and laughed.

"Last one there has kitchen duty for a week."

"GO!" cried Marla from behind us. She dashed forward with Jake hot on her heels.

"No fair!" I whined, chasing after them.

Upon hearing us running, Mal chose this moment to yell across the ship. "One of you is going to fall and die and I'm not going to clean it up!" Our laughter could be heard all throughout _Serenity_.

**Alrighty. Now this is my first Firefly story. Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not. For the sake of this story, Wash is still alive, but Book is not. Mr. Universe isn't alive either. This story takes place about sixteen years after the BDM. By the way, the Joss owns t all, except Alex and Marla and Jake and Max. Review people!**


	2. Of Syrup and Soup

I leaned back in my chair and watched with amusement as Max gathered up our dishes and began washing them, grumbling all the while. I smirked.

"Now, I told ya'll to stay here for a meeting about a possible new job." Mal began. I immediately sat up straighter.

"Badger has set us up with retrieving goods from a warehouse which contains many pricey items such as Earth-That-Was artifacts and that protein carp I know you all hate so much." Mal continued with a smile at apparently our faces.

"Now here's the plan," he was about to say but my mom cut in.

"We go in, shoot people, grab the goods, shoot more people, barely get away and you will be shot in the arm, again." I snickered at Mal's shocked face.

"Well, um, right Little Albatross, that's pretty much it. We have to steal, or borrow if you prefer, some cash from a bank on Whitefall. The only thing we really have to avoid os Patience."

"So whose going on this? I fixed the mule again and she should once more be able to hold six people." Aunt Kaylee put in.

"I've been doing a lot of configuring lately," Mal said, ignoring our looks when he said configuring. "Me, Zoë, Jayne, River, Marla, and Max will go." At that I leapt out of my seat, banging my fists on the table.

"Uncle Captain, are you implying that I cannot go just because I got a little injured last time on a job?" I practically growled.

"Um, yeah."

"Why the hell not?"

"Alexa Jane, watch your mouth." Uncle Simon scolded. I glared at him and he just kept on staring back.

"Alexa you cannot go because for one you did get a little injured and two, because if you cannot keep your temper down I will lock you in your room and three, you aren't going on any more runs ever again." Mal said.

I sat down in shock at what he told me. No more jobs? Ever? Hell, this is my life. I am one of his best fighters and bargainers and Mal is going to just keep me away from that?

"Well ,why?" I stuttered.

"I have talked to everyone, and no one wants you to die on our hands." Mal said. I looked at the adults and shook my head.

"I did not die."

"Um, Alexa, you almost did from blood loss and the fact that the cut had been deep enough to almost hit organs, you almost did die." Uncle Simon put in.

"I don't believe this." I stood up and walked out of the mess, and dashed into my room.

* * *

My room is, in my opinion, the best out of everyone's. The walls are painted blue with rolling green hills. Trees are scattered around with slightly blurry horses chomping grass and galloping across the walls. Bunnies hop around and I even put puffy clouds and soaring birds in the pristine sky.

My bed is attached to the wall, so I painted around it too. The grass continues, but winding around my bed is a river with a shore lined with rocks, weeds, and a few ducks and fish gliding in the water. The ceiling is a dark blue with some white and yellow stars.

My sheets and pillows match the ceiling and so do my few pieces of furniture. But right now, I wasn't marveling in the glory of my wonderful room; I was fuming angrily at Mal, and mom and dad and anyone else who had say in this utterly demeaning decision.

Without thinking I went over to my far wall. I pulled open my closet door and pushed my clothes to the side. I sat on the floor and stared at my weapons, imagining what I could do to Mal with each one.

That may sound a little mean and cold-hearted, but it cools my temper and lets my imagination run free for a while.

A knock on my door startled me out of my reverie. I whirled around in time to see Jack come in. He respectively shut the door behind him and sat down on my bed.

"What are you doing?" He accusingly said.

"Thinking of ways to horribly injure Mal without him dying."

"Oh, good, good." I smiled at the look on his face.

"It calms me down. So, why are you here talking to the useless one?"

"You are not useless, and just for the record, I had no idea that the adults were trying to make you not do what you do _mei mei_."

I sighed and nodded, meeting Jack's eyes. "I know you guys didn't. You all looked shocked beyond belief when Mal said that."

Hey, do you want to do something bad?" Jack asked me, a familiar glint in his eyes.

"Like prank bad or blowing up _Serenity_ bad?"

"Just prank bad."

"Alright. Lets get to work."

* * *

"Alexa Jane Cobb what the hell do you think you are playing at?" cried Mal. I smirked as he walked into the mess, looking like he was about to eat me.

"Yes?" I asked. Attempting to look all the picture of innocence I folded up my sketchbook and folded my hands over it.

"Did you do this to me? Wait, why am I even asking when I KNOW you did this."

"I don't know what you are talking about sir. I put the makeup on your face, but Jack put the soup in your hair and the syrup on your clothes."

* * *

Yay another chapter. Now the next chapter will have a little more action and such. This chapter was just the introduction of the job and Alexa's temperament.

If anyone has any ideas about this story, please either review or pm me. Peace!


	3. Taco Night

I hit the blue punching bag with my fist, and then snapped a roundhouse kick to the top. I was bored, again. Since I had been banned from going on jobs I had nothing to do. No scheming, no preparing. So I have been working out a lot for no good reason.

"Alexa!" I looked up at the catwalk. Inara was standing there with her hands on her hips.

"I'm not talking to any adults on this god-forsaken boat, or did you forget that?" I snarled through clenched teeth.

"Alexa, I am sorry but no one on Serenity wants you to die. You were too close to death last time and personally, I don't want you knocking on his door again." I wiped sweaty tendrils of hair from my face. Upon seeing Inara's face I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"You make it seem like I will die if I ever go again! I don't plan on dying until I am old and gray and have kissed Ma- I mean till I have tripped Max."

Okay, Alexa, that was too close of a slip-up. What is Inara had heard you say out loud that you like her son? I would be dead by the hands of Mal and most likely by the rest of the male population on this boat. They were way too over-protective.

"Alexa Jane don't you use that tone with me." Inara threatened. I shot another punch to the bag and then glanced expectedly back up to Inara.

"I was the messenger to tell you that dinner is ready and that your mom cooked so its edible." I smirked and then waved my hand, as if dismissing her. I waited, sending kicks to the bag until Inara's footsteps were no longer heard on the catwalk above. I wiped my sweaty face and hands on a towel, then ran up the stairs, two at a time, all the way into the mess.

I skidded to a stop then hastily grabbed a plate and loaded it with food. This was the last actual food until our drop on Persephone. It was also taco night, the best thing in the world. I heaped a mound of meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and peppers onto a tortilla. I snatched some water then spun on my heel and walked to my room, my new dining room.

I sat on the steps leading to my bed and folded my taco, shoving about half of it into my mouth. I was starving. Working out this much gets my metabolism running sky high.

A polite short knock came at my door. I cursed a bit as some of my taco meat fell on my lap. "If it is anybody over the age of forty you are restricted from entering." My door slid open and a wave of brown hair came in, shadowing my mom's face.

"What do you want?" I sneered.

"To exchange English and Chinese dialect with my offspring." I quirked an eyebrow, then scooted over to accommodate my mom's slim frame on the steps.

"Alexa, your father wanted me to talk to you, because you wont to any other adult in this home. "

"I thought I said no one over the age of forty was allowed in here." I shot out.

My mom laughed a bit and smiled at me. "I'm thirty-five Alexa Jane. You should know how old your mother is by now."

I glanced out the door. "I have more important things on my mind."

"Such as why you cannot go on jobs and Max." I whirled and I guess the look on my face was comical. My mom laughed and then tapped her temple with her index finger.

"Whatever. You can't tell him though or I will-"My mom interrupted me.

"There is nothing you can do to me that I won't know of first." I scowled and looked away.

"Sweetie," Mom began, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "I want you to know that I relented against Captain Daddy. I don't want you getting hurt, but this is your life and you shouldn't be stripped of that. Zoë and Kaylee agreed with me. Its your father and the rest of the male bondage plus Inara who don't want you going. I'm telling you that no matter what you do I will be behind you one hundred percent." I relaxed and looked Mom in the eye.

"Do you think you could convince Mal to let me go tomorrow? I won't cause problems or be a brat. We have dealt with Badger and I have proved myself to him. Please?" I turned my puppy-dog eyes on Mom.

I saw her soften and she slowly nodded. "Even the bird with the broken wings needs a chance to prove itself able to fly after the damage is gone."

I raised my eyebrow again. "I'll take that as a yes, I guess."

* * *

This is mainly a filler. The next chapter is going to be longer and much more everything really. I will try to update as soon as possible because my life is really hectic these past few weeks. Don't hold it against me and review. Peace!


	4. Colors of the Rainbow

I squirmed in my uncomfortable outfit. Badger had seen me twice, and both times I have been in disguise. Everyone says I look too much like my mom, so they have Inara dress me up to conceal the fact that River had a child.

I glanced at myself in the mirror that hung in my room. My long multi-toned brown hair hung stick straight. Inara had but in highlights in chunky clusters of blonde, black, and a copper in it. Black eyeliner rimmed my eyes and my lips were painted a bright red.

I hated it, but I had a very revealing outfit. Super tight black pants that were hard to run in adorned my long legs and my gun belt was strapped diagonally across my hips, which made it easier to access the knife in my right, knee high red boots. Yes, red boots. They were the only color I am allowed to wear. My 'character' that I play when we go to Persephone only wears red black and brown, and very quiet.

A black tank top hung off my shoulders. It was also skin tight and had a low back and neckline. I absolutely hated wearing it out of the ship, cause all testosterone filled humanoids seem to have their eyes glued to me. Great, I'm using big words again.

"Alexa! Get your skinny ass down here if you want any chance to step foot on this God-forsaken planet!" Mal's voice echoed through _Serenity_ and he felt very yellow. Oh, yeah, I forget to mention this, but I can sense how people are feeling. But I can only use colors to describe them, and I cannot read minds like Mom.

"Coming!" I shouted, the sound reverberating through my room, echoing in the small space. I slid my paper door out of the way and ran the few yards to the hold. I skidded to a stop and caught myself before I fell.

"Come on now, you don't want to be late with Badger." Zoë calmly said. The cool blue that emitted from her was soothing in comparison to Mal's angry red. He didn't want me coming along, I could tell by the glares he shot at Mom whenever he got the chance to, and he was grumbling under his breath in Chinese.

"Come on then. Lets' start hauling ass to Badger or else he's gonna gut us and take our skins and sell 'em." Dad said, pushing his way past us and walking down into the harsh sunlight of Persephone.

I walked out of the cool cargo bay of _Serenity _into the blazing heat of the planet. I squinted and tried to adjust my eyes to the blinding sunlight. I saw my mom grab my dad's hand as she caught up to him. Apparently he made it easier not to be overwhelmed by thoughts when in a busy place.

I automatically reached for Max as feelings creeped into my mind, drowning out everything else. Like Dad, he was my anchor. He always let me hold onto him until I could build my defenses up.

It's confusing, but my mom helped me create walls in my mind. They help block out the feelings of everyone, except the person I'm directly trying to feel.

"Come on you two! We don't have all day." Mal's sharp voice and yellowness pierced through all of the rest, helping my walls rebuild themselves. I have no clue why focusing on one person helps, but it does.

I let go of Max, and for a split second, I swear he felt disappointed, but I must have been imagining it.

* * *

"Now, love, what's your take on this deal your captain is trying to tie me into? What's his deal?" Badger got right in front of me. I noted the dirt on his flamingo pin, the tattered hat, the sleazy smile, the black surrounded by bronze, meaning he is a bad man, but with some good qualities.

I gave him what Jack calls my 'charming smile'. "I think my Captain is actually right on the money Badger. With the amount of cargo you are asking us to 'retrieve' we should be getting paid at least 100 platinum more." Badger grimaced and turned away from me. I glanced over at Mom, who nodded as if saying, you did good honey.

Badger grumbled to himself while he sat down in his old ratty chair, and absent mindedly began spinning his apple peeler. I winced at the sharp squeaks it let out.

"Alright, little girl. You are right. I will pay you more, but it's my choice of wha' the change in number is. _Dong ma_?" Badger said, looking straight at me as he talked. I nodded and smiled, turning around and walking back into the harsh Persephone daylight.

"Why you grumbling Mal? We got a job, and we be getting' paid, so I can't reasonably understand why you are cursing about in Chinese." Dad said, his orange being penetrated by red as he got more and more annoyed with Mal.

"_Ta ma de!_ I'm still pissed that your offspring managed to execute negotiation without getting threatened or shot at. She is more danger-attractive than me!" He said, full of anger. I winced away from his harsh words.

"She just landed you a job with Badger, sir. I can't understand why you are complaining either." Zoë, being the voice of reason spoke up.

"Relax, Alexa. Mom will get it out of Dad tonight." I smiled at Max's words. At the sight of _Serenity _I literally ran up the gangwalk and into the cargo bay. I zipped into my room, and changed out of the too tight clothes into my favorite brown pants and a slightly baggy t-shirt. I unhooked my gun belt and pulled my knife out of the boot. I kept my shoes off and placed my knife into a special pocket type thing that was on my pants. I yanked my hair into a ponytail and rinsed off the makeup that covered my face.

I opened my door and shrieked as I saw Mal standing there. "Sheesh Captain. You scared the crap out of me." I stepped aside and let him in. Once inside my room, I faced Mal and put my hands on my hips.

I always let my walls down while on _Serenity _cause with the small amount of people I don't need them that much. I read Mal as blue, tinged with purple around the edges, and a splash of yellow accented the painting.

"What?" I demanded.

"I'm sorry Alexa. I didn't mean the things I said in Chinese and I'm glad you have Badger wrapped around your finger, or else we wouldn't have a job." I smirked at Mal looked everywhere but me as he ground his apology out.

"So, I'm just going out on a limb here, but did Inara promise you something if you came and apologized?" I smirked again as his ears turned a light shade of pink, the closest to a blush Mal has ever gotten to.

"Alright, out of my way. I have captainy things to do." I stepped out of his way as Mal shouldered his way through my door, and stomped towards Inara's shuttle.

* * *

I feel bad about not updating. My only excuse is that my computer broke and I just got a new one. YAY! Anyways, I hope I didn't lose any readers, and please review. I love you guys and if you review I will possibly name a star character after you, that is if you give me a name to work with. Review!


	5. Red

I jolted awake, sweat pouring off my body. I curled into a ball at the foot of my bed and buried my head on my knees and took a deep shuddering breath. My dream faded away as I listened, listened to the sounds of _Serenity_. The engine hummed throughout the ship, soft shudders ran over the walls as it burped every now and again. The soft rustling of someone moving in their sleep, causing a hurricane of sheets to hit the ground in a thump.

I uncurled from my position, and slid my door open with the stealth of a cat. I closed my door and slowly walked out of the small hallway. I let my hand trace the wall, the couch, and the windows that led into the infirmary as I walked by. I felt the gentle vibrations of _Serenity _up through my bare feet and right up into my heart.

I glided up the steps that led into the dining room. It was dark as the Black inside, and I flipped a switch, allowing some light on. I traced the vines that were painted with delicate hands years ago. I walked, carefully, up to the hallway before the cockpit.

I stepped lightly, not allowing my feet to make a noise, afraid to tread in anyone's sleep. I did not want to face the wrath of Mal or Dad if I awoke them.

I slipped into the cockpit and settled down in the pilot's chair. Wash had covered it many years ago with a sheepskin cover, which still resided in place. I spun in the chair in order to stare out at the sky. I crossed my legs under me into a more comfortable position. I let my thoughts wander as my eyes saw, yet didn't see. What I thought of was my dream, nightmare.

_It was dark, yet light still penetrated under the door. A bang resounded through the room as someone, or something bashed the door in a desperate attempt to get in. an eerie howl echoed in my ears, and broke my barriers. _

_I felt them. All of them._

_Angry red was overshadowed with harsh black that burned my brain. No thought was mine, yet the were mine. The anger swallowed me, and nothing could rescue me. _

_I was alone._

_I felt someone beside me, yet their soft gray did nothing to soothe the assault of red and black. It just made it worse. I tried to grasp onto anything in order to bring me back. Brick by brick my walls slowly went back up, and the hallowing anger subsided, leaving me shaking and sweating. _

_Another roar followed by a stream of growls, echoed in my ears and I felt the anger, but it didn't drown me. the walls kept it out, and the grays and oranges of my family helped cancel it out. Even not being a reader, I knew what they all were thinking; this is the end. No way out._

_The door bent in on itself and another torrent of anger, followed by sick happiness swallowed me up. They were coming. The Reavers were here. No way out. No way back. _

_The door frame shattered and they rushed in a frenzy to get to us, our flesh. I could feel my gun recoil in my hands, but felt nor thought anything but the haze of red and black. _

_The screams made me shudder and I felt tears dampen my cheeks as I realized they were screams of my family. Of me. Pain blossomed and sick happiness filled my brain as the Reavers pounced. _

I jolted back to reality with a start. My dream was horrendous, nothing more than feelings, yet it was the scariest dream I had ever had, for my walls had broken completely and the Reavers were _**so angry. **_It was sick how completely happy they were as they closed on their prey.

I turned away from the window, as the never ending sky seemed too dark for safety. I fled down the hallway and ended up in the cargo bay. I skidded to a stop and stood still, my senses at their peak. I turned and went into my room and sat on my bed. I didn't want to be dragged under by sleep, but I felt my body hit the soft blanket, my eyes drooping shut.

I awoke as a felt a spike of gray penetrate my dreams. I couldn't tell who it was from inn my sleepy state, but I could feel it emulate from the cockpit. I raced up the stairs and almost ran into Inara on her way to the cockpit as well.

"What is it?" I stop abruptly as I almost ran headlong into Mal. I felt the fear in waves. That's why I couldn't tell who its was from. It was everyone.

"Wake everyone up. Reavers." I gasped and raced back to the dorms.

"WAKE UP!" I yelled loud enough.

"What the hell? No need to yell Alexa." Jack asked coming out of his room and banging his head on the doorway. "Shit that hurt."

"Shut up. Get dressed, all of you. We have a problem." They all headed my warning and turned back into their rooms. I bolted to mine, closing the door in a rush behind me. I yanked open my closet and slid on a pair of black pants under my oversize green shirt. I yanked on my black boots and grabbed three guns and a knife at random. I opened my door with one hand and ran back to the cockpit, struggling to put on my gunbelt.

"I need everyone to listen to my warning. Alexa, Jack, Max, Marla, Inara, Kaylee, and Simon, get to Inara's shuttle. We are passing Reavers. But I have no clue if they are hungry or not. If hungry, take the shuttle and leave. It not, you are safe. Hurry" I ran the rest of the way to the cockpit and slid into Mal.

"I refuse to be treated like a child! At least let me stay. You know I can fight!" My mom came up behind me and placed her small hand on my shoulder.

"The anger is too strong. It's a flood and you will drown if not attached to your life raft. You are yet a baby who cannot swim safely amongst the rushing waters. Cling to your raft and do not let go for it will save you." I struggled to make sense of her words.

"You have t' go darlin'. Do as your momma says." Dad said. I nodded and raced across _Serenity_ to Inara's shuttle. Everyone was in here, mostly in the main part of the shuttle. Simon was sitting with Kaylee, who was sniffling and felt dark blue and sad, on the couch. Jack sat at their feet with Marla beside him. I walked by them to the head of the shuttle.

I stood by Max's chair that was in the copilot's. Inara came in, wearing s black silk robe on over her normal nightgown. She started flipping switches, and I watched, memorizing what she was doing in case I ever had to. I felt the shuttle roar to life and Inara sat down at the controls, ready.

I tensed as I felt a growing tide of **red** invade my defenses. It wasn't like my dream, not that bad, yet it still stunned me. I also felt scared blue and gray amidst the red, and knew that it didn't come from Reavers; it was human. I shuddered as I felt their sick pleasure at tearing into flesh, how they relished in the screams of their victims.

Max's hand ran up and down my arm, comforting me, helping to block out the pain that had intensified along with the red. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying not to cry as the red and black and blue and gray threatened to drown me like it had in my dream as the ship passed by us.

Little by little, the terror and anger ebbed away, like how the sun's rays disappeared over the horizon. As the last of the vicious red faded away, Mal's voice echoed on the intercom.

"We are good people. They passed us by." I relaxed and slumped over the back of Max's chair. He rubbed my back and I stood up, pulling away from his soft touch. I turned and went back to my room, and stripped of my guns and weapons and boots. I crawled under the covers, but sleep was a long way away. The haunting feelings of the people on that ship and the sick anger of Reavers kept coming back.

My door slid open and I felt my mom's presence. I felt the gentle change of weight as she sat down on my bed. I pried one eye open when she didn't leave.

"You okay?"

I snorted. "No way in hell. The feelings are too vivid, I'll never be able to forget this feeling." My mom nodded her head empathically.

"I used to feel everything, no walls to protect me. I was lost…wandering in the consciousness of everything, everybody. I wanted…I wanted to die, bullet in the brain pan. Squish. But Miranda changed it all… and I learned to hold onto anything, someone to keep my mind from going off the deep end. Jayne was my wall, and still is. Find your wall Alexa Jane, and you will be as strong as me." I nodded and whispered.

"My defenses are stronger when holding onto someone."

"Usually that's true, for their colors dab out the rest on the canvas of the world." I was puzzled at my mom's words, but I knew what she was saying.

"Thanks."

"Goodnight Alexa." She kissed my forehead and left, closing my door behind her.

I woke up after everyone else. I usually was up as soon as two people awoke, but I was up half the night before, so you can't blame me. I slid on a pair of black capris and a purple shirt. I slid my black boots on and my knife in the special pocket on my pants.

I stumbled into the mess, and sat at the table. I buried my spoon in the protein and ate some of the tasteless crap. I guzzled water down, and the icy feeling cleared the cobwebs from my head.

"Morning Alexa." Marla said, bouncing into the room. I studied her and her feelings. She was a sunshine yellow, happy, mixed with a tinge of pink, which felt like a crush feeling.

"You like Jack." Marla halted in her tracks, as did everyone else in the mess.

"W-w-what makes y-you say t-t-that?"

"You're stuttering, which you only do when lying or embarrassed." I pointed out.

"I so d-d-d-do not like J-J-J-Jack."

"Liar."

"Nope." Marla was being so freaking stubborn.

"Whatever. Good morning by the way." I stomped out of the mess and into the cargo bay. Max was there, arguing with Mal about something. I hid behind the nearest crate.

"But Dad-"

"No. You are not going with us next run. Whitefall is dangerous enough as it is, and I don't want you four danger-attracting kids coming along. That's final!"

"Dad-"

"You are not going. You are staying with Kaylee and Simon and Inara."

"Fine." I ducked my head as Max stalked past me, and waited until Mal stomped up the stairs to Inara's shuttle. Once the door slid shut, I followed Max.

I opened his door, not bothering to knock. I skirted my way through the mess and plopped down on his bed.

"We can't go tomorrow can we?" I asked.

Max shook his head sadly. "My dad basically said no way in hell."

"Well screw Mal. You know that we will probably have to go and save them from whatever scheme goes wrong."

Max laughed a bit, but I could tell that his smile didn't reach his eyes. "It's going to be fun tomorrow. Just think, Inara will be in her shuttle all day, and Simon and Kaylee will probably be sexing." I shuddered at that thought.

"Gross. That's a mental picture I didn't need."

"Sorry but you know it's true."

"So." I stuck my tongue out at Max and stood up as I felt his blue and orange become infested with white, the color of mischief. I squealed as he came after me, wanting to tickle. I raced past the common area and into the mess. I ran around the table, but was now trapped on the other side.

"Crap." I yelled as Max ran quickly around the table, almost hitting my dad, Simon, and Mal as they sat there. I squeaked and ran behind the counter.

"You can't get me." I taunted sticking my fingers in my ears and waving my fingers at Max. He snarled playfully and when he realized defeat was inevitable, he walked towards his room.

"I'm gonna get you next time." I laughed and walked over to the table.

"What was that girly?" Dad asked, suspicion in his eyes.

"He tried to tickle me." Simon busted out laughing and I scowled at him.

"Are we going tomorrow?" Mal's eyes hardened and he snarled.

"No children are going, nor Inara or Simon or Kaylee. Don't be asking me on Max's behalf." I nodded, not letting the rush of red that spilled from Mal put me over the edge. But the pounding of red also came from Simon and Dad and it almost put me under. So much **red**, reminds me of Reavers tearing, snarling, hurting, enjoying it…

I hit the floor with a bang. Simon and Dad were over me, with Mal standing in the background.

"Alexa what's wrong?" Simon asked, doctor's experience coming off in waves.

"Reavers. So much red, its blinding. It burns, their pleasure coming off as anger, sickening, hurting, and growling! They come and kill, not caring, anger, hate, malevolent! It blinds the eyes, deafens the ears, burns the skin!" I cried incoherently, and I felt other presences rush into the room. I didn't notice them, didn't care.

"Tearing! Snapping at your clothes tearing at your bodies. They come in, screaming and anger running off in waves so high I drown in them! Fear penetrates the very fiber of my being and I slip away, not feeling pain nor feeling anything but their anger and sick, sick pleasure!" I cried, my mind want working, remembering the feelings.

"Doc, dope her!" I heard Mal yell as I continued shouting. I felt a sharp pinprick in my neck, and the world faded to black.

Most conflicting chapter I've ever written, and my favorite. Please review people, it gives me motivation to update.


	6. Waking up

I woke up. My mind was sluggish and I felt like throwing up. I pried my eyes open and the blinding lights of the infirmary seared them. I waited a few moments' then got adjusted to the light. I realized I wasn't in the examination chair, but instead one of the beds against the wall. No one was in the infirmary, for I could sense no presence.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and dropped to the floor. My legs couldn't support me at first, and I slid down, landing on the ground. _Serenity_ hummed beneath me, and I felt her quiver and shake.

After my legs regained feeling, I stood up and glanced at the clock that hung above the door. It read 1:30. I had no clue if it meant in the morning or the afternoon. I opened the door and walked out. I heard voices coming from the bay.

I walked through the door into the cargo bay. The whole crew was gathered as Mal was reviewing tactics and plans for this job. I leaned against the door, feeling like I was going to puke as the feelings overwhelmed me. When I'm drugged, my defenses go down for a while.

I walked out towards the crew. They all turned around as I hit a crate with my right hip and leg, causing a lot of noise.

"Alexa! We didn't realize you would come around so soon." Simon said, cautiously, like anything would set me off at him. I could feel my eyebrows come together questionably.

"What happened? Why are you acting so, so, like I'm a bomb that could go off at any moment?" Yes, I am good at using weapon similes.

"Do you remember what happened? At all?" Simon asked, doctorish concern echoing in his voice. I shook my head.

"Well basically, you asked us why you kids couldn't go on the job and then when we all got mad at you for asking that dumb question, you started freaking out and yelling about red and anger and Reavers." Mal stated.

I shuddered. Now I remembered. "You guys know how I feel emotions, but I can only feel them as colors. Your anger overwhelmed me, like I was drowning in a sea of red. It was like when the Reavers passed by earlier today, or yesterday, whenever it was. I don't remember much after that, besides a pain in my neck and blacking out."

"Okay, well you started yelling about red and pain and screaming, tearing, ripping sick pleasure, that sort of stuff." Max stated. I glared at him.

"I'd prefer not to know what I said or yelled cause then I would either freak out again or be embarrassed." I quietly said. "What are we talking about?"

"Who's staying on board and what to do in case they don't come back in four hours at most." Kaylee stated, all sunshiny yellow now that I was up, yet still a wary green.

"Okay, then I'm going to my bunk and sleeping all day." I turned and half walked, half stumbled to my room.

"Why are you going to bed?" Kaylee asked, all concerned.

"Just because I was doped doesn't mean that I slept; I was just knocked out."

I slithered under my blanket and turned toward the wall, closing my eyes. Sleep overtook me at once and I slipped into dream land.

_I was in the middle of an old ghost town. There was no one near me, and rather ironically, a tumbleweed blew in the biting wind across my path. The harsh sun beat down on my face, and I ducked into the shadow of a building. _

_I registered what I was wearing. I had on brown pants and a red shirt, covered with armor, mostly chain mail that Mal had told me they sometimes wore during the war. Dark brown, knee-high boots with a matching gun belt were partly concealed under a knee length, dirty brown coat. I checked the right sleeve and saw the insignia that showed I was a Lieutenant._

_I felt a strap of ammunition across my chest, and a large gun, somewhat like Vera, strapped across my back. I whirled around as an explosion echoed in between the buildings. I took the gun off my back and held it at the ready, releasing the safety. _

_I crept in the shadows, sneaking as stealthily as possible to find my way back to my regiment. Another explosion shook the ground, and I hit the deck as windows around me shattered in the sonic boom._

_A razor edge cut my arm and I hissed in pain. I picked my gun up off the ground and ran to the area of explosions. I made it out into the open, only to hastily retreat back into the shelter of the buildings, as the purple-bellies shot at me. _

_I shed some colorful language as a bullet grazed my injured arm, rendering it useless. I slung my large gun over my shoulder and took up the small Wu Ji strapped to my belt. I quickly fired three times and three soldiers fell. I smiled, wickedly happy at their deaths._

_Static exploded in my ear as my com came back online, at the same time pain exploded in my right leg. I cried out and crumpled to the ground, clutching my leg._

"_Lieutenant, you alright?" I heard the voice of Captain Hollenbeck._

"_No sir. Leg is shot and left arm is useless. I'm pinned down towards the center of town by Alliance." I ground out into the comlink. "Where are you?"_

"_Back on the boat. I'm sorry Lieutenant. We cannot come back to get you. Too much firepower and not enough able men to lead an attack. I'm sorry. Out."_

_I held back angry tears as betrayal ripped through me. "I'm sorry too Captain. You just lost one of your best commanding officers. Over. What planet am I on again?"_

"_Whitefall."_

I jolted awake. That dream wasn't mine. It was the memories of somebody, but no one on this ship had been a Browncoat lieutenant. The only way I could have picked that up was if I had somehow seen someone else's memories.

I brushed off the though and turned over, falling asleep again.

I don't know how long it had been since they left. All I know is that someone was pounding a message into my brain, causing immense pain.

ALEXA JANE COBB! DO NOT COME AFTER US! IT WAS A TRAP SET UP BY PATIENCE! DO NOT COME AFTER US! DO NOT! GET OUT OF THE SYSTEM AS FAST AS POSSIBLE FOR NISKA IS COMING! PATIENCE SOLD US TO HIM AFTER BADGER CONTACTED NISKA. I REPEAT DO NOT COME AFTER US ALEXA! WE WILL BE OKAY!

Multiple pictures flashed through my head; a run down town that looked familiar; a building with an ambush; Patience's goons injuring my mom; a pinprick in the neck and a hypo removed from the field of vision. I realized these were what my mom had seen. Apparently right before she was knocked out she projected a message all the way to me. I honestly cannot figure out how that is possible.

I rolled out of my bed and snuck out of my room. I burst out into the cargo bay to find Marla, Jack, and Max all laughing and messing around on the blue mats.

"Guys, listen. The 'rents were caught in an ambush. They are trapped in a building in town. Patience sold them out to Niska after he caught wave of Badger dealing with Mal. We gotta get them back or they will die. Help me." Wow, I said that all in one breath.

"Wait, what?" Marla asked, confused.

"Get your guns and gear and meet here in ten minutes flat. We are staging a rescue operation." I said, low and quickly in case anybody could hear us.

"Right. One, two, three, break!" Jack said. I rolled my eyes and ran to my room.

I slammed the door shut and stripped out of my clothes. I slid on brown pants, a black long sleeved shirt, my brown armored boots, and my gun belt, which held my _Wu Ji's_ and my knife. I slipped a 44 caliber sniper rifle on my back. I stocked some ammunition on my person, and yanked my hair out of my face.

"Come on!" I yelled. I raced back to the cargo bay to find the rest of them ready and waiting.

Max was decked in clothes similar to his dad's, but instead had black pants and a red shirt. His trusty handheld was on his side, but a gun that looked like my dad's rifle, Betsy, hung over his back. I also catalogued two grenades strapped to his belt.

Jack had a vest on over his cargo pants and green shirt. It contained plenty of magazines for our guns as well as a knife and some medical stuff.

Marla was decked to the nines. She was dressed almost identically to Zoë. She even had her own trusty mare's leg strapped to her.

"So what are we doing?" Jack asked, gray in his head.

"Rescuing our parents before Niska gets here." Marla said, gray also making her voice shake a bit. We have all heard about Niska and what he has done and it sent chills up our spines every time we heard about him.

"Alright. I know the building and everything. My mom somehow sent me pictures without meaning to. About a mile out, in the direction of town, there is a shanty farm. If the guy has horses we will use them. I will lead. Do not do anything stupid, Jack." I looked at him meaningfully. "Let's roll."

I hit the airlock button with my fist and waited as the doors slid open rather loudly. A spike of red and white hit me and I whirled around, hand on my knife.

"_Ai ya_. What are you kids doing?" Simon cried.

"Rescuing them from Niska. Don't try to stop us Uncle Simon; I wont hesitate to shoot you." To illustrate my point I took my _Wu Ji_ out of my holster and unlocked the safety. I saw him glup.

"What do you mean rescue them from Niska? He is no where near Whitefall and Alexa Jane you better put that gun away or so help me I will dope you again."

"Niska found out Badger had dealings with Mal, and made him tell. Patience sold them out to Niska for a handful of cash. We are rescuing them. Good day Uncle Simon." I whirled around and dashed down the ramp, Max and Jack following me.

"Marla come on!"

"No. Alexa…I can't do this…I cannot face this." I felt the harsh black and deep purple as she felt immense regret. "I'm sorry Alexa." She was speaking the truth, but it still felt like she stabbed me in the gut. I spun and ran most the way to the farm.

"Open up!" I shrieked as I banged on the wood door with my fist, tears washing away the dirt that had gathered on my face. A little old man with wicked blue eyes and a straw hat opened the door and looked up at my tall frame.

"Wa' ya'll want?" He inquired, an Outer Rim accent marking him.

"Borrow three horses for a while."

"Can't give me horses with out some sorta money involved." His eyes narrowed and I cursed.

"Take it!" I yelled, throwing a wad of cash at him. "Just give me some gorram horses!"

"Alright little lady. O'er in the barn. Choose yer three just bring 'em back." The man smiled and turned back inside his house, shutting the door in my face. I whirled around and yanked open the barn doors.

_Don't have that long. Got to get to Mom and Dad. Got to help them. _

I chose a black horse that was obviously built for running. I threw a saddle on his back and clambered on. I glanced over and saw the Jack and Max had both chosen a horse, a chestnut and copper. I nudged my horse forward with both my knees and mind, and set off at a full speed gallop towards town.

Dirt coated my body, sticking to me in a very unpleasant way. I slowed my horse up to a trot as we went into town. It was small and bleak, looking very familiar if I might add. There was something about the alleys and buildings…back this trailer up. This is from my dream. What the hell?

"Guys, do you see that big building over there? The two story one with the inn next to it with the hitching post and mule parked alongside? That's where they are trapped." I quietly murmured.

"You sure?" Max asked, turning towards me. I nodded.

"Hitch up the horses at the hitching post, then go into the inn. There is a back door which will lead to the alley. Go through it and wait for my signal to continue to me. I'm gonna go under that window over there." I dismounted and hitched up the stallion. He nuzzled my face, then bent down and drank from the trough.

I waited until Max and Jack were in the inn, and walked slowly to the building. It was a simple store, yet there was obviously a house on the top floor. I wandered over to the window, pretending like I dropped something in case anyone happened to glance out of it. I hit the dirt and rolled till my back was pressed against the wall. I pulled myself up into a crouch and yanked my favorite mare's leg from my holster.

I crept along until I reached a side door. I slithered up against the wall on the right side of the wood door and waved my hand as if batting away a fly. In an instant, Jack and Max were at my side. I nodded and they took up defensive positions as I dropped to my knees and hastily picked the lock with a bent paperclip I stowed with my ammunition.

At the sound of the lock clicking open I winced, and tensed up, stretching out my mind. I felt only a small presence of a mouse, so I stood up. I slid the clip back into my pocket and held my gun at the ready. I nodded and Max kicked open the door, doing a quick sweep, motioning with his hand when it was clear.

Jack and I filed in, and I closed the door. I trotted over in front of Max and raised my gun to be level with my eye. I took in our surroundings. It was all made of wood. I smirked and subconsciously remembered that I had a lighter in my pocket too. I was going to light these sons of a bitches.

I slaked over to the stairs and paused as I heard a thump followed by a feminine groan. I growled and stalked up the stairs. I hastily ducked into a random hallway, Jack and Max shadowing me. A person, covered in blood stalked past and I held my breath. As soon as a door slammed shut, I was silently moving. I walked over to the door I could feel _Serenity's _crew behind, and cursed wildly when I realized it was open.

I peeked. I made sure no one saw me and dove across the door's opening. I landed with no more than a slight groan from the old boards. I stood up, readied myself, raised my gun, and nodded at Max and Jack.

Sorry it took me a while to update. I'm swamped at high school. Please review lovely readers.


	7. Out Like a Light

I burst into the room and shot three times, 45 degree angle into back right corner, 90 degree angle to my left, and right in front of me, the bullet going through the man and shattering the window behind him. I fell to a knee and covered my head with my arms as glass rained around us. I hissed as it sliced my arms. Purple pain ripped around my mind, angry red, hazy yellow. The faded in and out, replacing others sometimes and totally overwhelming me the next.

A hand wrapped its way around my ankle. The sharp focus of one feeling blurred out all the rest. Then I was crashing to the floor.

A growl of rage ripped through me as I leaped back up. My leg whirled in a roundhouse kick, taking the person to the floor. I couldn't see clearly past the haze of emotions that surrounded me. The person on the floor groaned after I sent a well placed kick to their left leg.

"Alexa stop!" Hands were on my shoulders and a crushing surge of emotion swelled over me. Anger, hate, rage. _Reavers_. I grimaced as I fought away the mental images. So much _**red **_it burned my mind. My knees buckled. My arms curled around my head. Tears stained my cheeks. I cried out. "Too much! All too much! Too many animals on Noah's Ark. Has to leave behind silly unicorns. Too much money in the safe. Has to spend it on whores. Too much, too much!"

A sharp slap brought me back down to Earth. Another yell and I was fully down.

"Alexa what the hell is the matter?" Mal yelled loudly. I grimaced and uttered one word.

"Niska." Sharp intakes of breath echoed around me. Us kids had all seen the scars on Mal and Wash, heard the stories. Zoë's face got stony hard and Mom practically snarled.

"He will not take you, baby doll, swear on it." Dad growled. I looked over at Max to see fear in his eyes. I wanted to comfort him. He was one of the ones who took the stories to heart the most, for his dad had been through it before.

"Too late." We all looked over at mom. She had a glassy look, tears in her eyes. She turned towards us. "He's here."

*****

We flew into motion. Dad took the man I had left alive, grabbed his collar and threw him up against the wall. "What the hell did you do? Did your boss tell you to call a man named Niska? Answer me!" he shouted. The man, while in pain, nodded and whimpered at dad's hold on him.

"Kill me! He will anyway if you run! Kill me now!" The man sobbed and I felt deep, deep purple, remorse emitted from his core. I felt bad for him.

"No. I will leave you for Niska." Mal turned and walked from the room, gun in hand, grenade in the other. Dad dropped the man who fell in a crumpled heap on the ground. "Alexa, take the rear, River the front." Makes sense Mal would put me in the back, for I can sense foes and allies. As I turned into the hallway, I glanced back, raised my handgun, and shot the man dead in the chest.

"Your welcome." I whispered. As soon as I left the threshold, both my guns were cocked and ready, one in each hand, my right hand near my leg in case I needed my dagger. We ran through the house, assessing where to go. We slipped out the side door unnoticed and made it into the street.

"Down!" Mom screeched and I instantly hit the deck, my eyes calculating and waiting. A flurry of shots rang out, hitting the wall we had just been standing in front of. "Run!" I shot up and ran in a crouch all the way to cover, behind some beer barrels.

The wood by my face splintered as a bullet pierced through it, beer tumbling out in a waterfall to the hard dust. A sliver of wood imbedded itself in my cheek. I shrieked in pain and ducked back down, while rounds continued to hit the barrels.

I painfully pulled the splinter out, crying out as I tugged it free. Blood soon covered my face. _Pain is weakness leaving the body._ _Don't be a baby, you cannot afford it. _

I sat up and let loose two rounds off both guns. I felt the shock and pain of those who died. My shots almost never missed.

"Alexa behind!" Jack cried from his vantage point in an alleyway. I whirled around and drained the gun in my left hand, then followed suit with the other.

"Ta ma de!" I shouted, dropping my guns and running for cover. A fiery pain burst through my shoulder. I cried and dropped to the ground. My shoulder was drenched in blood and still bleeding. I hadn't been shot before surprisingly. It hurts.

I hauled myself to my feet and stumbled into the alley Jack was in. "Tie my arm up! Fix it!" I ordered. He scrambled to his feet and immediately tore off the sleeve of my shirt that wasn't soaked in blood. "Hey!"

Jack glared at me. "Do you want to die of blood loss? Didn't think so." He got down at my side. "Went cleanly through, but I need more padding…" He randomly stood up, yanked off his shirt and ripped it in half.

"Damn Jack, you got serious muscles going on for you." I winced and my nails bit into my palms as he tightly secured the makeshift weave. I hissed as he hauled me to my feet.

"Twenty yards away Wash has the ship hovering about thirty feet up. Kaylee is rigging something to get us up and out of here fast. I nodded and then set off at a flat out sprint. I ran from shelter to shelter, someone guarding my back the whole way. I saw it and was almost there, crouching and catching my breath. It was a flat out run the rest of the way to the ship. I sucked in a breath and sprinted.

I was a yard away. Time to jump. I launched up when a random, flyaway bullet pierced my left leg. I shouted out and landed in a heap. "Ta ma de, what the hell, goddamn, I'm dead." I felt Kaylee looking down at me, and a few other presences, and as I looked up to see her in the ship, I saw feet, and a boot crashed down on my head. All the rest was black.

**Twisted turn of events. 3 guesses at who knocked out Alexa. Give up? Niska. Review people, please for it makes me happy. **


	8. Into the Lion's Den

My eyes slipped open on their own. I moaned and rolled over, trying to find a more comfortable position. "Turn off the light Mom." I reached for my blanket with my right arm. A scream ripped through my lungs as pain exploded behind me on my shoulder. I hissed and shut my eyes, keeping my arm immobile, even though it was suspended above my body.

"Alexa, is that you?" I moaned in response to that. I recognized that voice. _Please dear God in heaven, let that not be who I_ _think it is_. "Alexa? Alexa Jane, can you hear me?"

"Get the hell out of here Max." I hissed, pain exploding back in my shoulder as I slightly turned my head to check. I lifted my body up, attempting to see where I was. I suddenly felt a hand on my stomach and another one on my upper chest, pushing me back down.

"Lie still. Not on your shoulder you stupid _pi gu_. Lie like this." I felt Max move his hands, maneuvering my body. I ended up on my stomach, my head turned and my left arm under it, keeping my head off the grimy floor.

The floor moved under me, jostling my shoulder and bringing another pain into the picture. My leg was on fire. My left leg, make that my calf muscle, was burning. I whimpered and cried out, a tear escaping my eye.

"Shhh, shhh. Don't move and you will be fine." Max's voice was like a river running over me. It cooled my head and broke through the pain I felt. His feelings however, did nothing to relieve me. It was all browns and grays of pain and worry, but worry for me.

"Don't worry about me." My voice came out harsh and rusty. "I'm fine Max." I felt a vibration through the floor, and I somehow knew we were on a ship and were landing or docking, but most likely docking considering Niska owned that space complex, whatever its name is.

I felt Max's stare. "Shut up Alexa. You aren't fine. You got a bullet hole in your shoulder and another one in your leg, plus a wicked scratch on your cheek, so don't go saying your fine with TWO damn holes in your ruttin' body okay?" I nodded, tears escaping as my injured cheek rubbed against the ground. "Hey, hey don't cry Alexa. I'm here _bao bei,_ I'm here." a comforting hand stroked soothing circles on my back.

A light pierced my eyes. I felt a sudden burst of brown, coming from all over. I winced at the onslaught. Through all that however, I felt the blackness and yellow rolling off of someone. Niska.

"Well, look at what we have here. Little lovers? Great fun." I forced my head up, ignoring the pain that resulted from the simple action. I eyed the old man. I had read somewhere when I was surfing the Cortex that Niska was only about 67 but looked so much older. I didn't want to know why.

Of course he was surrounded by at least three henchmen. Wonderful.

In the new light I took a quick glance around, absorbing everything. I had on thoroughly soaked clothes. They were stained red. The floor around me was covered in dried blood. No wonder why I felt a little off. I must have lost a ton of blood. The room, or cell if you prefer, was small and cramped and had little ventilation.

Max was bending protectively in front of me, crouched and his hand still rested on my back. He was covered in blood, wrapped in it like a cloak of red.

"Come with us sweetie and we will clean you up and fix those holes in you." Niska crooned. I glared at him, and the man had a flash of fear grace him.

"I am not going anywhere alone with you and your acolytes." I spat. Max's hand slipped down and clenched mine.

"Alright, my acolytes will take you both." Niska took two steps and stood in front of Max. "My, my don't you look like your double crossing, traitorous father." He said grabbing Max's chin and forcing him to look in his eyes. "Let us hope that he will come back and retrieve you two. We have some unfinished business to attend to." With that Max ripped his head free, stood up, and was in Niska's face.

"My father is not any of those things. And he will come and get us, and he will kill you in the process. If he doesn't, I will you slimy, old bastard." One of the henchmen stepped forward, but Niska's hand flew up, stopping his path.

"No, let the younging rant. It won't matter what he says now, but what he says later. Take them to the medical bay and have the doctors stitch this young lady up so we can continue our business." With that Niska left, leaving only two of the scary men behind.

One grabbed Max and yanked him forward. The other bent towards me. He grabbed me under my arms. I screamed out as he kicked my leg and jostled my shoulder. I saw Max leap to me, his guy yanking him back to the door. I shook my head.

A few painful minutes later the two guys dropped us both in the med bay. I hissed through my teeth when I hit the ground. They left us, no doubt to stand watch at the door until some doctor came in. As soon as they left Max was at my side.

"Alexa I am so damn sorry. These bastards are gonna pay one day." He wrapped his arms around me, being careful of my shoulder.

Any other day I would have been thrilled that I was in Max's arms. I have had a crush on him for a while, more like a year. But shivering in a cold med bay on one of the scariest, nastiest, vicious man in the whole damn 'verse, I was a little distracted.

"I hate this. I hate being this weak. I hate being trapped in this hellhole. I hate feeling the pain of everyone in this building, feeling what revulsion and hatred! I hate this! Frankly I don't care if I die here. Hell, I would rather be dead than alive!" I cried out, ranting.

Max grabbed my face. Suddenly I felt nothing but his anger and…..love?

"Listen to me Alexa Jane and listen good. You cannot and will not die. So what if we are trapped here. So what if you have two holes in you. So what if you can feel everything. If you can feel feelings, feel mine right now. I am worried and scared, but not that anything will happen to me. No, because I'm scared something will happen to YOU." he must have noted my expression. "Yes, Alexa, I am only concerned for you, and do you no why?" I shook my head the best I could. "It's because I love you. I love you more than as my little sister. I love you as my girl. I would do anything for you Alexa Jane. I love you."

I sat there. I was at loss for words. Max had just proclaimed his love for me in this place. How ironic. "You, you love me?" the words barely escaped my lips.

"With all my heart. If I could, I would make sure you were in perfect health and condition by taking your wounds for you. I would do anything to save you. I love you." I didn't know tears were streaking down my face until Max lifted a thumb and wiped my cheeks. "Don't cry _bao bei_."

"You just made me the happiest girl alive. Yes I am lying here in pain, but you love me, and told me that. I love you too Maxie." He grimaced, but with a small smile at the old nickname. Max bent his head and kissed my forehead.

"Promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"That you will get out of here with me alive."

Max hesitated for a second. "What if only one of us can make it?" using my left hand, I threw a good punch at his chest.

"Stop being so pessimistic. Promise me."

"I swear."

The door banged open and in walked a thin, frail doctor with a new, huge bodyguard. Seriously, this dude was bigger than Dad.

"Um, miss? I need you over here." Max stood up, then grabbed my left arm, slung it over his shoulders, and helped me hop over to the medical table. He helped me sit up on it. The doctor instantly began poking and prodding all over me, including in a few places he shouldn't have been.

"Hey doc, no poking the girl parts or I will tear you up, dong ma? Fear radiated off of him and the doc nodded, scared.

"Well as for your shoulder it didn't hit any muscles or important ligaments. Plus it was a clean shot and went all the way through. The one in your calf however, I am going to have to extricate. It will be very painful, considering Niska doesn't have any anesthesia on hand, considering the bay hasn't had any use except for as the morgue-" The doc shut his mouth as the hench dude towered closer, a hand inching towards his gun strapped on his belt.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had seen surgery without anesthesia. It had to be done on Dad once, for It had been all spilled out and blown up on a flyaway bullet. I had watched. My dad is one of the strongest, toughest guys I know, but he had screamed and yelled and cursed and jerked around so much.

I felt Max place his hand over mine and I heard his reassuring words. it will be alright.

I stuck out my leg, ignoring the pain. "Do it now." The doc looked frazzled for a second.

"Um, miss, it would be easier to sew up your shoulder then do your leg….but I will do your leg first if you are so persistent." He ran around and got cleaned up and gathered up all his doctor stuff.

I shot a glance at Max. He rubbed circles on my hand. "You can do it and I'm here."

****************

I was shaking. Sweat covered my body. My throat hurt. My screams still reverberated through my mind. The pain still coursed through my body, like an aftershock. I shook. It had taken all of twenty minutes for the surgery and bout five minutes to sew up my leg, but it had felt like an eternity. The only reason I made it through alive was because I had Max holding me down, and I had hooked myself on his feelings, feeding off of his love for me.

"It's okay Alexa. Shhh, it's okay baby. The worst is over. You did it. Shhh calm down it's okay I'm here and now your leg is better. Shhh." Max held me against his body. I felt my sweat plaster to my shirt. Like it would have mattered considering it was already soaked in my blood.

"Um okay, you didn't die but you did pass out for approximately 5 minutes and 57 seconds. Now I need to do your shoulder. Would you mind…" the doc motioned at my shirt.

"Give me a damn minute would you?" I hissed, throwing a glare at him. I leaned my head against Max's shoulder. "I cant do this." I whispered.

"Yes you can, baby. I believe in you and you can do it." I nodded and leaned back from Max. I moved my arms like I was gonna take off my shirt but a dilemma was noted; my shoulder.

"Um, Max would you mind?" If my dad could see that Max was taking off my shirt, Max would be no more and I would be not allowed to date until I was married. I grit my teeth cause now I was just in my black bra.

"Do it doc, get it over with." He got out a needle and some med thread. I grit my teeth as he pulled off my makeshift bandage Jake had put on my shoulder. The doc winced as he saw that the cloth from Jake's shirt had dried with the blood and now was stuck to my shoulder.

"miss? It looks as if I try and pull the shirt off, the bleeding will start again, and it will start again fast. If I try to cut it off it would be more painful then actually just ripping the shirt off. Your choice." I rolled my head, ignoring the pain as I stretched my shoulder in doing so. I could feel the hazy confusion of the doctor, the heavy anger and revulsion from the big scary guy, and Max's unmistaken able, very obvious, queasiness. You thought I was gonna say love didn't you?

"Rip it." I grabbed Max's hand and he responded my slight squeezing. I looked up at his face, which even in this horrid light looked a little green. "Don't look." We whispered at the same time the doctor said it. I burst out into laughter.

"Miss, I'd advise you to stay still or it will hurt a lot more." I instantly became a statue. I heard the scissors bite through excess shirt cloth and a slight tug as the doctor grabbed one side of the fabric. He sat there like that for eternity.

I was just beginning to relax a little bit when he yanked the shirt off my front and back with astounding might for a little man.

My head went back and I bit my lip to keep from screaming. I could feel the blood running down my arm, but I didn't dare look. I felt my nails pierce Max's skin on his hands, felt him twitch, but he didn't pull away. His blood ran down between our fingers, just like how my blood was running down my other arm.

"Bruno, I need your assistance." The big man, Bruno apparently, walked over, looking like he was about to puke over the little doctor. "Hold her steady while I sew it up fast."

"Wait," I moved about in my seat, flinching into Max but away from the big man. "Why do I need to be held down? You never said anything about this, you only said it would hurt less than the surgery, so why does the big man have to hold me down?" My voice rose as the doc turned around, a syringe in his hand.

"We are not injecting anesthesia. This is something that you will not enjoy, but renders the same results as anesthesia." I glanced through the window and saw Niska standing there, delight shining in his coal black demonic eyes.

At that Max leapt up and kicked the doctor's syringe out of his hands, then promptly punched him in the face.

"Direct hit." I murmured.

The big man didn't like that so much, and he towered over Max. Max instantly did his knee jerk reaction he was famous in our household for; kick in the groin. The big man went down and I whooped.

"What do you think you are doing?" the voice with that annoying, creepy accent only one man had echoed in the room.

Max whirled around, and was about to go get Niska, if I hadn't intervened. "Max, n-no, don't. We-we will get o-our chan-chance." The blood loss was making me woozy. I weakly lifted my left hand and pressed it with as much force I could muster against my wound. Max flipped around, and went over to me. He pressed his hands onto the holes, his hand covering mine.

"You decide to attack my doctor, yes? Well, you get extra fun time for that, no? Doctor Kezeca!" Niska kicked the poor man on the ground, holding his nose. "No syringe, that will come later. Now, you sew her up and give her a transfusion, or I will permanently replace you, okay?" The doc nodded and hopped up, ignoring his bloody nose.

"Move young man." he seemed more curt as he addressed Max. he glared at the doctor and moved so he could stitch up the front hole first, never taking his hands off my back.

Insert needle and thread here. And some yelling from me, but not much, only when the doc painfully pulled it.

A few minutes later it was all done. I was still loopy, however. Blood loss always does that to me.

"Doc, transfusion, now!" barked Max, who was still holding onto me. The doc moved around, but it was all fuzzy, as if looking through a piece of glass that hasn't been washed in years.

I saw the needle pierce my skin, but it was as if I was looking from another body. My head felt heavy and I could hear my heart in my ears. My eyelids fell and my hand in Max's grew limp. My senses however, were more attuned.

I felt the worry in Max as I grew limp, felt the slight breeze as he stood up. But I also sensed the pain and frustration and hatred and so much **red** of everyone around me. My breathing quickened and I grew taut, like a rubber band before it snaps.

Max felt my change. "Shhh Alexa, it's alright, no one can harm you. There are no Reavers. Shhhh." Suddenly I felt a hell of a lot better. I felt the blood running in my veins.

"Doctor, the transfusion and stitching up are complete, no? very well then. Lewis, take these two and get them cleaned up per say." Niska's voice echoed again and I felt hands grab me, rip me away from Max. I whirled my head around, my body following, getting ready to fight, when my leg gave out.

I cried out in shock, almost forgetting I had surgery on my leg. I hissed as the big guy picked me up, held my arms to my sides, and in front of Max nonetheless, coped a feel of me, considering I had on just my bra and pants.

"You take your slimy paws offa me or else I will make sure you die slow and alone." I hissed as menacingly as I could. I put all the anger and hatred into it. It must have worked because his hands were off of me in a nano second.

We started out of the med bay into the lion's den.

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This is one of my favorite chapters, and by far my longest. I hope you like it and feedback is greatly appreciated. Sorry for the cursing by the way, it just seemed appropriate for this situation.


	9. Poison in Every Pore

"What do you mean they got taken by Niska? I thought we finished him years ago when you two got nabbed and tortured outa your ruttin' minds?" Simon yelled, anger radiating from every pore.

"I mean what I say Doc, and don't ever remind me of that sumbitch again." Mal intoned, threatening Simon with his words and the fact his gun was still in his hand, with his son's gun clenched in his other hand.

"We haveta go after them Mal. There ain't no way in the gorram verse that those two can last more than you did against Niska and NOT die!" Jayne imputed, rage coming off of him. River put a hand on his shoulder, as he was sitting down and she was standing behind him.

"Captain, I agree with Jayne. We have to go after Max and Alexa." Zoë put in her own two-cents worth. Wash sat beside her and Marla was behind them both, tears running down her dark cheeks.

"I betrayed them. I left them when they needed me the most. I can't believe what I did, ugh! I should have been there with them, then maybe they wouldn't have been taken and, and," With that Marla broke down into a crumpled heap and sobbed. Jake stood up and walked around to her, and hugged her tight.

"We will get them it's okay, everything will be okay, you'll see." Jake looked up at everyone. "We haveta go get them. My cousin and best friend are being held by a psycho bastard who just wants to get his revenge on Captain. I think it would be best to attack from more than one side, hit him where he is weak and then spring the two."

River stood silently. The wheels were turning in her head, mulling over multiple possible plans, reviewing the layout to the space station, remembering what their plan was last time almost a full seventeen years ago. "No power in the verse can stop me."

******************

_No power in the verse can stop me._ I blinked, wondering where the hell that phrase was coming from. I heard a grunt from beside me and Max came to, blinking stupidly.

"What the hell?" I shook my head and surveyed our surroundings. We were in a room that looked like it had been through hell and back. Max and I were strapped side by side in this little thing that looked like a gurney stood up at a slant. Light filtered in through panels on the walls. There were a few tables lying around with what looked like medical equipment, along with a few extra things I couldn't identify.

A light draft across my stomach took me by surprise. I glanced down to find myself in a pair of super tight, super short black shorts and what looked like a black sports bra on over my normal bra.

_Wonderful I'm sitting here half naked with my lover next to me. Wait a damn minute, that means that someone took off my clothes… whoever did it is gonna die slowly. _

Max shook his restraints. "It's no use we won't get out of these things, they are too tight already." He said. I took the opportunity to ogle him. Shirtless.

"Damn." I murmured, too quiet for him to hear. Max was muscled, and it was very hot. He was also very tan. I could feel myself practically drooling.

He glanced over at me when he heard me whisper, then turned back attempting to escape. Then, very comically I might add, his head whipped around and his eyes were glued to me. I shifted uncomfortably. "Stop staring will ya? It's not like you haven't seen me in a bathing suit before." That is true. We all went to a beach on Boros a few months back.

"What I can't stare at your awesome bod? I do love you ya know." Max winked at me, then turned back around to his restraints. I blushed, bright red.

Right then the door banged open. Niska came slowly down the three stairs, a smallish henchman following him. I winced as the door banged shut with a clatter.

Niska, unfortunately, walked right in front of me and stared. "What?" I spat with as much venom as I could muster. Niska laughed and smiled gleefully, like a child who had found a lost toy.

"Yes, yes. You will be very much fun." I shivered, not wanting the type of _fun_ he wanted to do. He walked over to Max and scratched his chin. "No! I contradict myself. YOU will be much more fun, as you are the son of Malcolm Reynolds." Max spat in Niska's face and I smiled.

"Chester! Prepare." Niska barked, turning back and getting comfortable. Chester if that was his name, picked up a wickedly curved knife and began polishing it with something. I looked at Max. My expression of fear was echoed in his face, and in the canvas of his feelings.

**********************

"We don't even know which end of the verse this man is at! We can't go flying around searching for them!" Mal banged his fists on the table, Max's gun still clenched between his fingers. "We need a plan. Kaylee." Mal looked up from his hands, which he had been staring at through his whole tirade. The crew went silent. They had never seen tears shimmering in their Captain's eyes before.

"Yes Capt'. I managed to implant a simple tracking device on the ship. Well actually Jayne took it and managed to throw it so it hit the ship's main buffer panel. It turns out that Niska's skyplex is still orbiting the same moon as before." Kaylee said all in one breath. "It's the exact same layout as when we had to rescue the Capt and Wash from before. The only problem might be trying to find which part of the skyplex they are in." Kaylee stalled when she said they, for their names only brought another round of tears.

Throughout the whole conversation, River had sat on a chair in the corner, apart from everyone else. Now she was hugging her legs, rocking back and forth, a glazed look on her face.

"Basically the plan has to be the same as last time. We have two teams; one holds the ship, the other goes in to find the two. But now since we have more fighters and River is more lucid. We stand a better chance of coming out of there with no casualties or major injuries." Zoë stated.

Mal nodded. "People, prepare your weapons. We need to get there as fast as possible so they don't get cut on. The first team will consist of me, Zoë, Jayne, River, and Marla. The second team, the one who stays with the ship, will consist of Simon, Wash, Simon, Jake. Kaylee you will stay ON the ship with Inara. BECAUSE we need a quick getaway and Inara, baby, I know you can fly this ship and Kaylee, I need you to watch for anything that can happen to _Serenity. Dong ma?"_ Everyone nodded solemnly.

"Alright people. Prepare for full burn. Head to the skyplex. Lets bring back our crewmates."

"It's too late." They all turned to River. She looked back at them ,tears running down her cheeks. "It's started."

****************

Chester came towards us with that knife. Niska gleefully smirked. Chester turned to him, as if asking which one of us to start cutting on. Niska motioned to me. Chester came walking over to me.

I braced myself as he raised the knife. I have had plenty of knife wounds and they didn't hurt that bad if you didn't watch. What I wasn't prepared for was the burning sensation of poison crawling over my skin after the knife bit through it.

I screamed as the poison seeped into my skin, my back arching against my restraints. I felt Max's anger at them. I felt Chester's so-so attitude. I felt Niska's sick joy. Reavers. No, NO! block it. I will NOT allow myself to fall, not now. I bit off my scream by biting my lip.

"The poison is only meant for pain. It will hinder your movements too." Niska put in. I was panting, holding in the screams that desperately beat against my lips and teeth. Sweat rolled off my body, going into the long gash on my arm.

"Next." Niska said. The poison's pain was fading away, but it still burned when I moved. I watched Chester as he went back over and reapplied the stuff to the knife. He walked back over to me, and without warning, sliced my other arm. Another scream slipped through my lips. I held on to them until they bled. Another few minutes later, Chester came back, knife reapplied and ready for action.

I was sweating, slippery with sweat and blood and poison still moved across my skin. "Wait!" cried Niska. He stood up and walked over, in my face. If the poison hadn't been still on me, I would have bit his nose he was so close. He reached up and with an ice-cold finger traced the scar that ran from shoulder to hip.

"Chester, can you trace this?" My breath hitched in my throat and I instantly felt scared.

"NO!" yelled Max, struggling against his restraints. "Cut on me do anything to me, just DON'T do that to her!" he shrieked at them. Niska smiled evilly. I tried to muster the breath to reject Max's idea, but it was too late.

Chester took the knife, but this time it had a buddy. He brandished both knives and cut right across those perfect abs. Max's scream will echo in my ears forever.

We both lay strapped to that upright table covered in sweat, blood, and poison. We both were shivering, as it was cold. We both had similar feelings too; fear, pain, love.

"Chester, put a bandage on their cuts would you?"

****************

"Wash we almost there?" Mal's voice echoed over the intercom.

"Yeah, bout 50 miles out."

"We doing the exact same thing as last time?"

"Almost. I put one of those new cloaks on us so they cannot see us on radar."

"Good. Be down in five."

*****************

Covered in sweat is no fun, especially when it starts to cool on your skin and dry up. However it is useful for slipping out of your hand restraints, leaving you free to kick some ass. But I was staying in the table.

We each got cut on a few more times, me on my stomach twice and my leg once. Max had three across his abs, another down one bicep, another on his opposite forearm, and another on his calf.

He had slipped out of his restraints too. We both were just waiting for the opportune moment. Suddenly I felt a burst of worry and love blossom from him. It painted his canvas many beautiful colors. I attached myself to that and fed off of it. It gave me strength.

Niska and Chester turned around with some new toy. "Ready?"

I lifted my chin and looked in his eyes defiantly.

"No power in the verse can stop me."

********************

Mal glanced over at River. She was decked to the nines. She had on baggy black pants, a black tank top, high armored boots, fingerless gloves that Jayne wears a lot, and two guns on her hips, one strapped to her back, three grenades, a small first-aid kit, a knife in each boot, another knife on a wrist strap, and ammunition was laced across her front diagonally. She was dwarfed by it all.

"Lil' Albatross, you sure you can do this?" She looked up at Mal and creepily smiled. Mal now saw the exact same face Alexa had once given him a few years ago.

"No power in the verse can stop me."

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This is a record update speed for me. I just have the urge to write. Anyways, review people and maybe I will get in another chapter by the end of the weekend.


	10. Of Guns and Knives

I raised my head and braced myself as Chester walked over to me, something caught in his fingers. "this is my favorite." he whispered. He inched closer, and his pleasure at my soon-to-be pain caught me off guard. But I regained myself. The cold metal object was just about to touch my skin when my right leg shot up and kicked him in his groin.

Chester went down like a rock and I picked up that silly little toy and pressed it onto his own skin. It whirred and spread under his skin, like arms of an octopus spreading over the sea floor. I shuddered at his pain filled gurgly screams. "Enjoy your little toy." I spat.

Max was at my side in an instant, supporting me, cause I can't really stand on my leg quite yet. "Niska." I said sharply. Max nodded, and placed me so I was holding onto the wall for support, even though I had no need to.

Max stalked, looking like Dad when he was out hunting, either animals or the baddies. He picked up that knife that Chester had cut on us with.

"Burn in hell." With that he chucked the knife, but as his biceps were cut up, his aim was off. He hit Niska's shoulder. With that alone however the man went down. "You shall pay."

"Max!" He spun around. This is wrong. "Let Mal get him." Max turned back to Niska, then me, then back. He did that a few times before limping over to me.

"Get on my back." I felt strong determination, the color of navy blue and purple, radiate from him.

"What the hell? No way I can walk." I could In fact. I don't know about fighting but I can sure as hell walk.

"Get on my back, please. If I need you to fight you can't be in more pain than you already are." I felt his reasoning in that. Max turned around and I jumped onto his back, piggy back style. "You weigh a ton. What have you been eating lately? Rocks?" I covered his eyes.

"Just get us out of here loverboy."

"Loverboy? No way!" But Max did go up the stairs.

"Wait! Go back down again!"

"But I just went up theses three stairs with YOU on my back!" Max whined. I whacked the back of his head.

"Go." I ordered. He complied and once he was down I slid off of him and limped my way, painfully, over to the torture devices. I picked up the small knife and reapllied the poison. Sliding it carefully into its sheath, I strapped it to my hip, being careful to avoid my bandages. I bent down awkwardly, with my injured leg sticking out behind me, slightly off the ground, holding myself up with my hands and other leg.

I saw what I had been looking for. I had read on the Coretx that a few years ago Niska's skyplex got attacked by Reavers. Most of his crew had survived, and whatever weapons the Reavers used, they kept almost all of them either for torture devices, weapons, or trophies to see that they had won.

I grabbed what looked to be a sword, but it was entirely different. It was a curved blade, like a scythe, yet curved more gracefully. It was small towards the hilt, but widened out to be the width of my thigh. Both edges were serrated very heavily. There were like, pieces coming off the main part, almost like it had arms curling back to the hilt. There were also holes in the blade, and they had serrated edges too.

All in all, the blade was very good for killing. I took the sheath for it, and strung it across my back. This blade was too long to go on my hip. I stood up, favoring multiple parts of my body, and grabbed the little bottle full of that heinous poison. I closed it tightly and strapped it in its own little part on the sheath.

"Let's go." Max motioned for me to jump back on him, but I shook my head. "No, for I have weapons and you don't." Max looked around wildly, from the bloodstained patch where Niska had been before he crawled away, to the tables, to the toys. Finally he bent down over the still twitching Chester and plucked the gun from his hip and the knife from his boot.

"Now let's go." I stated. We both limped up the stairs, knowing once we got adrenaline running through our veins we wouldn't feel our pain.

"_Ta ma de!"_ I would have slapped Max.

"Watch your language." He glared at me.

"Almost every single part of my body has been cut on; I think I have the right to curse." I shrugged and looked down at his pants.

"Not every single part was cut on." I giggled. Max glared at me again, but I could tell he didn't really mean it. I can after all read feelings like books.

"You know what I mean." he started back over to the door, slowly. I followed, aches and pains and burns making themselves noticed.

"Ow, ouch, ow, ouch, OW, ouch!" I said repeatedly as I clambered up the three dang steps. Max looked at me.

"Oh yeah, I'M the one complaining." I shot a glare, then unsheathed the Reaver blade. I held it diagonally across my body, trying to get a feel for it. The hilt seemed to fit perfectly in my hands. I nodded to Max. Time to be silent and stealthy. He checked his gun, taking out the magazine, checking it, loading it back in, and taking the safety off. He slid the door open, and poked the nuzzle of his gun out.

I peeked through the crack and saw only one guy standing in front of the door. He looked very bored.

_Time to relieve you of your boredom. _I kicked the door open, and he spun around, gun already in his hands. I sliced through his arm with the Reaver blade. He shrieked and Max shot him. Down in an instant.

I stepped over his body and limped awkwardly down the corridor. Max ran lightly behind me. Stepping silently, I made it to an intersection type thing. I raised my hand and I heard Max stop, also felt confusion in his feelings. I let my barrier down. An onslaught if emotions reached me, and I went down on my hands and knees, the blade leaving my hands. Max got worried and came closer but I shook my head.

I felt them all. Every henchman, Niska, people in pain, and something else. I zeroed in on that. I felt ten presences I hadn't felt before. The familiar tones and hues of their feelings…The crew of _Serenity. _I shot up.

"They are here." Suddenly, an alarm blared and a klaxon repeated over and over. "Intruders, intruders…" I got my blade and started at a run, trying to narrow in on the emotions of the crew.

"Max come on!" I yelled over the annoying voice. We skidded to a stop as our path was blocked by what I could say was about ten henchmen. "Shit!" I screeched, and fell into combat mode.

Max and I dove into different doorways, giving us some cover. I slathered the small knife and the blade with the poison hooked on my belt. It gave them an eerie sheen. I stood up and Max continued picking the men off, but I felt his worry grow as he realized his ammunition was almost done.

"Cover me!" I yelled. Doing a diving somersault is no fun, especially when covered in multiple injuries, but I managed to get into another doorway. This one unfortunately had a guy in it. I kicked his chin, throwing his head back and exposing his neck. I sliced it with the knife and he went down in agony.

I rolled across the hallway, dodging bullets, into yet another cover zone. Three men were hunkered in this one. I stabbed one with the Reaver blade, sliced his throat, while I kicked another in the gut, then whirled around and sliced through his armor, the poison getting trapped between his skin and the armor.

I hissed as some of the poison hit my skin. Bullets rang out and I felt Max's anger; his gun was out. I grabbed one off the ground and kicked it across the ground. It skidded to a stop in front if Max. He shot a grateful nod my direction. I raised my hand, signaling to cover me still. Another nod. How original.

Somersaulting across the hallway yet again, I pulled at the stitches on the back of my shoulder. I felt blood dripping down my back. That made me even angrier. I dropped the gun I had picked up, and it clattered to the ground. The Reaver blade seemingly appeared in my hands, and the knife in my other.

Whirling out of the doorway, it seemed like everything went in slow motion. Every trigger pulled I saw, every bullet whizzing by I dodged. I just love adrenaline.

I spun around and sliced. Another spin followed by a jab from both the knife and blade, just in different directions.

I stood there, blood running down my shoulder. The weapons were clenched in my hands. Every guy was either dead or writhing in pain. I looked up at Max. He was there with his eyes bugging out of his head.

"What?" Escaped my lips.

"That was amazing. I have never seen anything that awesome in my life. You were like bred to fight or something Alexa." I glared at him.

"Thanks, that is exactly what every girl wants to hear."

"Sorry it's just like, wow."

"Whatever. Come on, let's go." I spun around and ran down the hallway. Apparently my adrenaline rush from fighting disappeared, cause my leg gave out.

"Alexa!" Max was by my side. "What happened girl?" He examined my leg. The stitched had burst and the bandage was blood soaked.

"I-I tore open everything on my leg-ouch." I winced in pain and held back a scream.

"Time for some more thrilling heroics." He scooped me up and slung me onto his back. He moved silently through the hallways, one arm holding arms together, the other holding his gun aloft.

I expanded my subconscious. I felt the crew farther away, felt fear in them. I also felt a terrific sense of anger. No not Reavers. The henchmen and soldiers of Niska. They were surrounding the crew and Niska, damn him to hell, was there, watching gleefully.

"Turn left, then right, then keep going straight until you hit an intersection. Then go right an just keep following the hallway." I felt Max nod, then he broke into a jog.

"Anyone around?"

"No they are all trapping our crew."

"Crap." He broke into a run. I clutched tightly or else I probably would have fallen off.

"Here." I whispered. I looked up and heard many gunshots and cries of wounded. "Let me off." I slipped off his back and unsheathed both my weapons. "Give me your handgun." Max did so and I handed him the knife and poison.

"What's your plan?"

"You go in so you are with the crew. Tell them to take cover. I am going in and I am gonna kick the ass of every man out there."

"Wouldn't your mom be better suited to do that?" I stretched out my mind. I felt pain in multiple places on my mom's canvas.

"Too many injuries. I have to do it." Max looked at me. He grabbed my face and pulled my lips onto his. I stood there shocked and he pulled away.

"Don't die on me."

"I won't."

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Another chapter up. Thank goodness. Review people please.


	11. Payback for What Was Done

I waited until I felt Max among the crew. I nudged around a bit for a few seconds more. Max was obviously in pain, and completely worried about me. I reveled in Marla's feelings. She was very sad, and furious, every bone in her body wanting to take revenge on these sumbitches.

Zoë was scared, only a little, but she still was. But she was also full of revenge for what these bastards did to her baby, Wash, and now that they were trapping and shooting at her other baby, the one borne from her.

Dad, Jayne, was furious, red clouding his canvas, inking out the rest of his colors.

Mom was lying in pain, yet still managing to fight, using her anger to fuel herself. I could tell she felt me by the way joy slowly spread as Max made himself noticed, and rage also as I was defying her plans.

Mal was all the colors of the rainbow. Anger, fear, worry, hatred, revulsion, relief, and love, for all of us. It was astounding. It reminded me of when I was a little kid. I would sit for hours and watch the colors of Mal change back and forth.

I honed in and focused. I went into meditation mode. It helped me to focus and block out anything that could interfere with my fighting.

Ignoring the blare of the alarm, the voice that droned on and on, the constant yelling through out the skyplex, My eyes closed and my head tilted back. I focused.

One person at a time, I canceled out their feelings. The amount of people wouldn't change, but there were so many!

After about five minutes, I had finished building my wall. I flicked open my eyes and smiled. This was the first time of doing this exercise that Mom taught me that it actually had worked. I felt it all, yet nothing at all, if that makes any sense whatsoever.

Basically, I could feel more of myself, of my pretty canvas. It was speckled in almost all the colors of the spectrum. My senses were more attune too, considering I didn't have to spend all that energy trying to block out feelings. I felt the blood on my back form my shoulder dry, the burning pain in my leg, the sweat drying on my skin, my heart beating fast in my ears.

Crouching down, I stalked over to the door. It had an automatic button, which is good for me, so I don't have to exert as much energy to smack open the door…what am I saying? When I am on adrenaline I fight as good as my mom and dad; quick, stealthy, hard punch in the face, fighting that looks like dancing, or hard, in your face, strong.

I slid to one side of the door and whacked the button. Spinning, I whirled into the bunker, like a storage closet basically. It was huge and full of boxes, most of which the crew was hiding behind. I saw the looks on their faces as they caught sight of my hideous appearance; bloody, sweaty, almost naked, covered in white, bloodstained bandages. I saw, didn't feel, the shock of Niska's men as they spotted me, then whirled around to make me have a meeting with their guns.

I dropped to one knee and shot three times in succession with my left hand. The three guys who aimed at me first, went down, stone dead. I smiled, wickedly. I couldn't hear their cries of surprise nor pain in my head, on their canvases. They just simply weren't there anymore, and it fueled my strength to fight. Normally, I am so drained already from just listening to people's emotions that I cannot fight the way I was born to. The way I was raised to.

The gun was dead, no more ammunition. I was stupid and hadn't looked for another clip beforehand. I spun into a somersault, and then there was only one thing on my mind; kill these bastards.

I whirled out of the somersault, the hand containing the Reaver blade snapping up as I spun up, slicing into a man as if he was warm butter. I leapt to my feet, glanced behind me, and did a move I had seen mom do once. I created perpendicular lines with my body.

My right arm, the injured one with the Reaver blade, went straight out from my body, my left arm molded to my side. My left leg snapped up at the same time as my arm, kicking a man in his privates, the blade stabbing another with it. I whirled around, my hair snapping over my shoulder, my left leg coming down to stomp on the man's throat, the blade hissing through the air to bite down and slice out his throat. What a great way to die, being beat up by a bloody injured girl.

A bullet whizzed by my ear. I spun, and chucked the blade with as much force as I could muster. It whirled by a few men, and then impaled itself in the last, pinning him to the wall. I ran, jumped, soaring like _Serenity_ does.

I snapped up one leg, then brought the other up, while in the air I remind you, and kicked a guy who had been training his gun on me and almost took my ear off, straight in the chest. He grunted the gun falling out of his hands, which I snatched, spun around, and fired in succession.

The guys went down, but more kept popping up in their places. I growled, spun, yanked my blade out of the dead guy, and went back, facing the baddies.

"You ready to negotiate now, yes?" Niska crooned. I turned, snarling.

"Never to you, you slimy, sleazy, bastard." the words ripped from my throat and I spat them out.

"Your funeral then."

"Not today." I ran and vaulted myself up onto the little ledge thing Niska was standing on. I didn't jump high enough however, so I grabbed onto the railing, my hand slowly slipping considering it was drenched in blood. I hauled myself up and vaulted over the rail. One of Niska's bodyguards was there, but I promptly shot him in the chest. He fell over dead.

"I think it is time for you to pay for everything you have done Niska." I growled. Then he did something I am shocked that and old man would do. He punched me in the nose.

I reeled back, my back hitting the rail, and then hitting the deck so they couldn't shoot, letting the crew take over in picking off the baddies.

"You hit me why?" I hissed through the pain and blood that was running down my face in rivulets.

"Threat." The old man was shaking in fear, and it was evident across his face.

"Good answer." I stalked around him in a circle, and he kept his distance. Soon it was his back to the railing not mine.

"Time to have a meeting with the ground." I sliced right in front of his chest, causing him to jump back, startled, then kicking him over the railing to land with an impressive noise on the ground.

I followed, jumping down after him. He grabbed a hidden knife out of his jacket. I kicked his hand, and it made a snapping noise, and grabbed the knife. I thrust it into his right arm, making the old man cry out, screaming.

"You will stay here." I straightened up, keeping the blade pointed at him. I strode over to the button that released the doors Max had made everyone hid behind once it got ugly. I whacked the button with my gun hand. "Come."

The crew piled out and I looked at Mal. I nodded. "You deserve revenge."

"I am going to make that bastard pay for what he has done to me, Wash, Max, Alexa, and everyone else in the gorram verse." Mal strode over, and I turned around.

The weapons clattered to the floor as they slipped from my hands. I went down on my hands and knees, and barfed my guts out. I felt a soothing hand on my lower back. Max.

"Is it taken care of?" I whispered, my voice scratchy.

"It is done."

"Good." I smiled a little bit, then my sight faded, my arms collapsed, and everything went black.

The last thing I know is the words "Her heart has stopped!"

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Whoohoo! Another chapter. Sorry I took a little longer to update, I have been swamped at school. Review please.


	12. Raining Blood

The constant monotone of the heart monitor echoed in my ears, as did the soft hum of medical equipment. I felt a blanket on my skin, on a lot more skin than usual. I also felt cold, along with multiple bandages pressed on my skin by the blanket. The slight throb of stitched up wounds made a small groan escape my lips.

"She's awake!" I tried to throw my arms up over my head to block the noise, but I couldn't lift them. My eyes were open in a shot, the heart monitor sped up a little bit, and I started sweating. I don't like being not able to move. It isn't hardwired in my blood to not move.

"Lie still Alexa, even though you cant move anyway. I tranquilized you so that you didn't injure yourself more by moving. " Uncle Simon loomed over me, and then I noticed the rest of the crew standing either at the windows, or in the doorway.

"What- what happened?" my voice came out in a rasp and I almost couldn't hear myself. But apparently Uncle Simon did.

"You had lost way too much blood, almost enough to kill you, which it almost did. Plus there was poison in your bloodstream, which managed to get to your heart. I was able to drain it all out of your system, and Jake gave you a transfusion. I stitched up all of your wounds and managed to repair the damage done on your leg by that scoundrel doctor. You have been out for almost a week." Do you know what my amazing response to that was?

I blinked.

"Hm, I can tell you are brain dead still." Uncle Simon smirked. He ran his tests, murmuring some medical jargon. He stretched his hand to me, and I'm sad to say that I shrunk away from his hands a little.

"It's okay Alexa. I'm not gonna hurt you. Well purposefully at least." I nodded and it took all my self restraint for me to let him poke my sides, stomach, arms, and legs.

"Alright. You are going to have to stay in here for at least two days so I can monitor your progress. No going up and down ladders or strenuous activity, like exercising or dancing. No buts. You will just injure yourself further and slow the healing process. I'll need to check your stitches everyday, to make sure that there is no infection. Any questions?"

I shook my head. Then I nodded. "Can I sleep?"

Simon laughed. "Sure, go right ahead." He hooked the finger monitor on my left hand, considering my right arm was all taped up. Curious I hadn't noticed that.

"Why's my arm all taped up?" I whispered hoarsely.

"You had three minor fractures from your fighting and I had to wrap up your bullet wound."

"Thanks." Simon nodded and covered my scantily clad body back up with the blanket. "I'm going back to sleep now."

Simon chuckled. "Alright goodnight." He injected something into the IV that was hanging beside the med bed. Right away, I felt drowsiness sleep into my limbs. My eyes drooped and my head fell to the side.

_He inched to me, knife clutched in his spindly old fingers. They squeezed the hilt of it, and then Niska's eyes turned happy again. He walked away from me and over to the rest of my family, who were incapable of movement considering they were all strapped up like me. _

_Niska first off sliced Mal's throat, then Inara's to stop her screaming. Zoë was next and then Wash. I struggled against the restraints, hoping to save them. I was trapped in this nightmare where my screams got lodged in my throat and I couldn't control my limbs. _

_Simon and Kaylee were left to bleed to death, and Niska moved to mom and dad. Mom managed to kick away the knife, but that ended with three bullets, head, heart, gut. Dad struggled, kicking and screaming, three more bullets. _

"_Let them live!" I tried to yell, but I couldn't. blood dripped down from above and clogged my mouth, seeped into my eyes and down me. It was everywhere. _

_Niska turned his devil eyes to me and calmly sliced Marala's head off. Jake yelled, tears streaming down his face. _

"_Help her! Damn you Alexa Jane! You don't have the right to bear the name Cobb if you cannot save us! Damn you to the bottomless pits of hell. Damn you!" Niska ended Jake, and the tears mixed with blood as I yelled, struggling to get free, to save at least Max. _

_Niska gloated, but I didn't hear his words. The blood from an unknown source shrouded everything, but the pain inside me, for it was my fault that everyone was dead. If I hadn't tried to save the parents, at least some of us would be alive. _

"_Max!" my heart beat and I saw red as Niska closed the knife to Max's throat. The feeble skin couldn't hold up, and blood dripped down his throat. Niska he old bastard was gonna let him bleed to death. _

"_Go Alexa." I noticed I was no longer strapped down. I whirled to save Max, but his head dropped and I fell to the ground. _

"_No!" _

_The blood rained from the ceiling and I glanced up. It was the bodies of my family, cut open, their blood on my hands. _

"_No!"_

"Alexa!" My eyes jolted open and I lay on the med bed. Sweat rained off of me and I was panting. Mom stood beside me dressed in one of Dad's old shirts.

"Alexa Jane calm down please." My eyes darted around wildly, every sense on red alert.

"Alexa!" A cool hand pressed down on my forehead and my world went black, even though I could feel my eyes were still open. Pictures flashed into my mind, blood, Reavers, pain. Wash and Mal in Niska's torture chamber, strapped to the same tables Max and I were. Them being rescued. Their dreams hideously similar to mine that burned my mom's brain. The feelings she felt as they burned into her mind.

The coldness retreated and I breathed in deep, realizing I had been holding my breath.

"You are not alone Alexa. Multiple people have gone through what you have. You are not alone. So calm down or else the dreams will get worse and you will fall into the well after the shiny penny. No one will ever take you, or anyone else again. The baby bird is still sheltered under the mom's wings." She gracefully turned on one heel and drifted out of the infirmary.

"Your mom's right you know." My head whirled around, cricking my neck, to look to my left. Max was sitting there, staring at his hands, wringing them.

"How long have you been there?" I whispered.

His baby blue eyes met mine. "Since I heard you screaming. I tried to wake you up but it didn't work. I had to call your mom with my mind so she could wake you up." I turned my head around, tears blooming.

"I didn't want you to hear that."

I felt his gaze boring into me. "I woke up cause I had a dream similar to yours. Alexa, I, I'm scared." At hearing the vulnerability in Max's deep voice, I turned back to him. I stretched my left arm as far as it would go.

"Come here." Max obediently followed orders, wrapping his arm carefully across my waist, being careful to avoid bandages.

I studied him. Max had a bandage stretched across one cheek, along with a colorful array of bruises and cuts. My eyes went down to his bare chest which was covered in matching white bandages. Through one on his arm I noticed the stain of bright red blood.

"You're bleeding."

He glanced at his arm with a grimace. "Yeah, my stitches opened when I was thrashing in my sleep I think." I frowned at him.

"Go get Uncle Simon to stitch them back up please Maxie. I don't want you to get infected." Even with my own rainbow of bruises and cuts littering my face, I managed to get Max with my puppy dog eyes.

"Fine." Max stood up and walked over to the call button thing, which was directly linked to Uncle Simon and Aunt Kaylee's room. "Simon, can you come stitch up my arm? I think I ripped the stitches." I heard a muffled, groggy response.

A few moments later Uncle Simon stalked through the door looking a mite unhappy. "Sit." He pointed to a stool and Max obligingly sat down.

"you only ripped out three out of ten stitches, so I'm just going to fix those and hope to go back to sleep." Simon glared a bit at Max before fixing the stitches. I saw Max wince and heard him hiss every time the needle poked his skin.

"There, all fixed. Goodnight you two." Simon cleaned up behind him, washing his hands, applying a new bandage to Max's arm, putting his tools in a disinfectant, placing the thread away. "No more ripping of your stitches. Now if u need me, I will be asleep, so don't need me." With that, Simon slouched out of the infirmary, cutting most the lights, all the ones over the smaller beds that sat proudly on either side of the main chair.

My eyes closed slowly, the drugs affecting me. "Stay." My hand went out and grabbed Max's arm. I felt a burst of pain and I realized my hand was encasing one of his wrapped up biceps.

"I will."

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Sorry for taking so long. Swamped at high school and not enough time to do anything. Sorry. Please review, porfavor. By the way, I am sorry it is somewhat short...like I said, I don't have time any more.


	13. Out of Gas

It had been three weeks since Max and I returned to _Serenity. _Uncle Simon had finally let me out of the infirmary after about a week of complaining and tearing up his infirmary. Max and I were still healing, and I had a long ways to go before I would be able to do anything, but for the most part, life had been good. We had three jobs in those short three weeks, and even though Mal was highly concerned about each and every one of those jobs going the way as planned, we still managed to make a small fortune, for us at least. So yeah, we had real food on the table, a fully stocked infirmary, a completely loaded armory, and everyone was feeding on that happiness. For now at least.

I could feel it in the air, and I know Mom did too. Something was going to happen, something that would endanger the crew.

____________________

"And that was when the whole place went down. Hell of an escape I will tell you that much." Mal continued to eat his chicken. I snickered and winced as it pulled slightly at the stitches across my stomach. Max felt my hand tighten around his and looked at me. I nodded, motioning I was fine. I randomly felt a burst of happiness.

"What the heck was that? Who just took some ecstasy?" Us kids giggled and some parents did too, Simon hiding his face behind his hand as he cracked up. Wash just laughed loudly. Inara glared at us.

"Kids, be quiet. And you too Wash and Simon. I would like to say something if you don't mind. I am pregnant." At that the table went silent.

"Are you kidding?" Jack asked.

"No."

"Then congrats Mom…and Dad." Jack got up and hugged his parents.

"But I thought you said no more kids Captain. I thought that included you." Simon input his two cents worth.

"We didn't plan it, okay? Also, how do you remember that? I told you guys no more kids over ten years ago. Don't tell me you have gone ten years without sexing?"

"You would have to be a blind _pi-go _if you think I can keep my hands offa my River here."

"Ew, Dad! I do not need to be hearing about your sexual excursions with my mother!" Wonderful, big words again. I hate big words. They fog up my brain, cloud my subconscious, make it hard for anyone else to understand me.

"Yes, Inara is pregnant, and yes, I would highly appreciate it if no one got pregnant again. _Dong ma_? Otherwise I have no qualms with pushing you off of a cliff or out of the airlock." I snickered. I could tell Mal was joking, his voice and feelings were full of humor, but I could tell that some of his words were sincere.

"Understand." The male population at the table, the married males at least, stood up, gave Mal a salute, and sat back down to eat. I glanced at Marla and we busted out laughing.

"Well, um, Cap? Can we stop at Boros? I need to get a few parts for _Serenity_ or else she might blow up again." Aunt Kaylee cut in. I glanced over at Mal. I felt a sudden burst of terror of dying, losing his ship, and losing his life. My brow furrowed and I looked at Mom.

_Ask him yourself Alexa Jane. You can't hear this from me. I was 99% crazy back then. I can't remember half of what happened that day. Ask, and he will tell._

The words flowed uninvited to my head. I nodded to Mom.

"Mal? Um, I have a question. Why are you terrified of dying? What happened before? Concerning the ship at least." There was a sudden increase of tension in the room, and I heard multiple parents draw a sharp breath. I held my breath as Mal stared me down. Finally his expression softened and his shoulders slumped. He drew in a deep breath.

"I will tell you. Anyone who doesn't want to hear the story, leave now." No one rose. "Alright."

Mal took a breath and began. "It was Simon's birthday. We had eaten dinner and Kaylee baked a cake. Simon was about to blow it out when the whole ship rumbled and the lights flickered. Kaylee went to go check it out, but the engine exploded basically. Zoë was the closest one and pushed Kaylee out of the way, but got hit with the blast."

I saw Marla tense and felt emotions run high around me.

"Jayne managed to seal all entrances and we opened the airlock, letting the fire go out into space. We brought Zoë to the infirmary and the doc had to, um,"

"He had to plunge a syringe full of pure adrenaline into my heart or else I would have died." Zoë interrupted. Her face was a mask but I felt the raging fear that it would happen again rushing beneath the surface.

"Yeah, what she said. Anyway, after Kaylee told me that the catalyzer blew. We only had a few hours left of air, and even less for life support. It was getting colder. We were a fish in the water. I informed that four people each would be taking a shuttle and I would be staying in case anyone managed to pick up a signal Wash had sent out, and even managed to boost a little bit. I also didn't want to leave my ship in her time of need."

"So what'd you do Dad?" Max asked. I felt confusion and need for the rest of the story.

"don't interrupt me son. So I ordered everyone off ship and they all left, rather reluctantly. I went up to the cockpit and slept for a while. I remember it was getting colder and colder. We received a signal, but I didn't get a chance to watch it, but I do remember the feeling I felt when a ship pulled right in front of me. We went through a little disagreement and came to a consensus. When they opened their airlock the air tasted so good. They wanted something in return for giving me a catalyzer."

I felt a shock of pain and a burst of fear.

"They wanted _Serenity_. They shot me in the gut. It hurt like a bitch. But I managed to pick myself and a gun up and made them leave me the catalyzer, but they had to get off my ship. I only remember faint parts of this now but I remember the klaxon blaring and red lights and stumbling and blood and pain. Then they came back for me. Thank the Lord or I wouldn't be sitting at this table right now."

I felt a swirl of emotion, from pain to fear to worry to reminiscing. Yes it is a feeling.

"Um, I am going to go to um bed." standing up, I walked over to the sink and put my dishes in it, then went out to the dorms. I had to share a room right now because Uncle Simon hadn't approved of me going up ladders yet. So, I was sharing a room with Marla.

I closed the paper thin door and yanked off my pants, stepping into my black sweatpants I wore to bed. Take note this one simple task took me about five minutes alone. I lifted my blue shirt off my head, leaving me in my black bra. That's when the door was opened.

I shrieked and whirled around, fists at the ready, my right arm already pulled back.

"Alexa! Chill it is just me." Marla cried, her hands up defensively. I quickly backed down.

"I'm sorry I am so jittery lately. I can't help it." I sat down on my cot that was propped up in the corner and placed my head in my hands, staring at the bandage that wrapped around my stomach.

"What's wrong Alexa?" Marla walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"I don't know anymore. I hate being immobile, not allowed to do anything. I hate these nightmares that come every night. I hate this feeling that something bad is going to happen! I hate not being able to be hugged without flinching away on instinct! I hate this!" My eyes were streaming tears. Marla placed her head on my shoulder and rubbed my bare back.

"Listen to me." she abruptly moved, grabbing my head and making me look at her. "You are one of the strongest people I know, both mentally and physically. You can get through this. You have your whole family to help you through this. You can do it Alexa. I've known you your whole life and I know you can do this. You WILL make it. Understand?" I nodded, sniffling.

"Good." She wrapped her arms around me.

"Do you know how much of a big sis you are to me?" I choked out.

Marla chuckled. "Yeah, I know I am your big sister and I always will be, _dong ma_?"

"_Dong ma." _

I heard someone walk into the doorway, and my head whipped around. It was the boys. Jack covered his eyes and turned his head around as soon as he saw what state of clothes I was in.

"MY EYES! They burn!" Marla and Max busted out laughing and I glared at Jack.

"Oh, puhlease. It's not like you haven't seen me in less before." Get your minds out of the gutter people. I mean bathing suits and when we were toddlers we would just wear diapers.

"It's icky. I think I am going to go barf now." Jack whirled around and slipped into his room right across the hall, slamming the door shut.

"I think I am going to leave you two alone, so just leave the door open." Marla said, gracefully slipping out the door and going up the ladder to clean my room, like she did once a week nowadays.

"What's wrong Alexa?" Leave it to Max to notice every damn thing. He must have seen my red, tear streaked face even in this poor lighting.

"You heard. I could feel you both outside the door." I turned and sat back down on my cot, stretching for my shirt, and dropping my arm back to my side as pain ripped through me. "_Ta ma de_! That hurt." I bit my lip as Max slightly jolted the bed, worry ripping through him.

"Don't worry, it will subside in a minute." I sat there, sweat dripping down my forehead and back as my stomach and arm throbbed. It took so much self control to just sit there and let it fade away. I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

Max rubbed my back and placed his chin on my non injured shoulder, kissing my cheek.

"It'll be alright. And I'm not talking just about your wounds." I turned into Max's arms and buried my face into his shoulder. He kissed my forehead, nose, the turned my face up and kissed my lips.

"I love you. Always remember that." Max whispered.

"I will."

**I'm so disappointed I got no reviews for my last chapter. SO please, I beg of you, review people. I need to know I am keeping my skills toned. And just so you know, this part of the chapter, the lovey dovey stuff, was hardest for me to write. So anyway, just review people. They make me happy and that means more chapters faster. **


	14. Cold

I snuggled under my blankets. It was freezing.

"Why the hell is it so damn cold?!?" Marla's voice interrupted my sleep. Grumbling, I pulled my head out just a little from under my covers.

"Shut up unless you want to die." I whispered, sliding back under the covers.

"Alexa can you pull your head out of your butt and just feel how freaking cold it is??" Marla shrieked.

"No." Then I screamed. The covers were yanked off of me in a spilt second and the icy cold air made contact with my super warm skin, creating a mess.

"HOLY SHIT THAT'S COLD! GIMME MY COVERS BACK YOU PI-GU!" I yanked my covers back on me and curled into a ball, teeth chattering.

"Do you want me to get you some warmer clothes??" Marla quietly said as to not wake up those we already did.

"Porfavor." I have been brushing up on Spanish, an Earth-that-was language that my mom liked to speak in sometimes other than Chinese.

As Marla left I threw the covers back over my head and shivered. I tried to curl my arms and legs up to my chest but a searing pain ripped through me. It wasn't just from the injuries Niska had done either. I cried out and my eyes squeezed tight. Pictures flashed before my eyes. Mal swearing blood on his hands. Simon crying. Max swearing. Jack shooting a gun, a determined look on his face. Inara shrieking. Mom running. Dad cussing and shooting. Marla smirking. Wash bleeding. Zoë yelling. Kaylee rocking on the ground. Then me, a bullet hole in my leg, eyes shut tight.

The pain was gone as soon as it started and I opened my eyes and looked around wildly. "Mom?" I was scared now. That had never ever happened before.

A loud bang from the kitchen sent me running up the stairs, ignoring the pain that made every wound throb and bust open under the bandages.

"They come! Two by two! Noah's ark! Always in twos, never alone for they cannot face the atrocity of what they have become! It burns and rips, the pain coming always, never ending, always coming!" The words echoed around my head as I heaved myself up the last steps and into the kitchen, blood dripping down my back and stomach from the stitches I tore open in my haste.

"Squish! They step on you if you get in their way like ants! We are all little ants and they come and kill us! Always get revenge no matter what costs! Always come back, whispering nice words in your ears to melt your brainpan!" I ducked as a knife whirled to me and imbedded itself in the wall. I glanced up and saw Mom, standing behind the counter, eyes wild. She was screaming, knocking things down, trying to get away all the while. Another knife flew past my head.

"Hand of blue! They come! They will always come, nagging at her brain until she lets loose! No! will not or shall not turn! Tiger hiding in the dark waiting to spring when all is good!"

I let my walls down and the wave of emotions almost drowned me. I swam among them until the familiar canvas of my mother appeared. It was shadowed. My brows furrowed in confusion. I couldn't read anything off of Mom. It was as if her whole self was dunked in a shadow. But I could feel so much from everyone else in the room and on the ship. I felt it. I knew I would have to fight my way through.

Hastily I reached out and grabbed the knives behind me. I held one in each hand and stood up, stalking closer to Mom. Dad, Mal and Simon were each holding a hypo, and were trying to find any way to inject it in Mom.

"Alexa Jane Cobb you better leave this room this instant!" Mal barked as he saw me. At that moment he let his guard down and Mom managed to skirt out from around the counter and ran at the door that I happened to be standing in front of in all my bloody glory.

Mom ran at me, not stopping, looking as if her eyes were unfocused and she didn't see me. I blindly kicked at her, which she nimbly dodged. I was just trying to get her on the ground so that she wouldn't end up being a threat to anyone.

Mom spun away and whirled to the exit that led to the engine room. She dodged Simon and Mal, and I could tell by now Dad was really worried but also pissed. This was the first episode in a long time, about ten years, and even I faintly remember the last one, considering I was only five, but whatever.

Dad threw up both hands. "To hell with keeping us safe. Riv is gonna kill herself or someone else." He murmured the last half mostly to himself, then wrapped his arms around Mom's lithe frame. She flailed her arms and legs, but Dad picked her up off the ground. He didn't notice that Mom had grabbed another knife.

"Dad!" He didn't see it slice the air until it imbedded itself in his arm. Dad let out a grunt of pain, then furiously injected the hypo into Mom's neck. The last look on her face, fear and confusion, made me sad to see, that I had to witness this.

All of a sudden a canvas opened bleak and gray to my mind. It was shadowed in fear and confusion, death and destruction. Then as quickly as it was there, it was gone again.

"Help me get her to the infirmary, NOW!" Simon barked. "And Jayne that means you come too, and Alexa you too! You tore open your stitches again you, you…" Uncle Simon then faded into mumbling curses. Dad carried Mom with one arm, and I limped down after them.

After Dad and I were both stitched up and Mom was still sleeping. I watched as Uncle Simon and Mal cleaned up the infirmary. I felt extreme anger radiating off of both of them. That anger was directed at me.

"I suggest you go back to bed before they explode." Dad whispered in my ear. "I will stay with Mom and take the brunt of their anger. You deserve a break. Go back to your room, and if you cant sleep go to Max's, just don't have sex."

I smiled. "I think you know me better than that Dad. I owe you one, maybe two." He laughed, then shut up as Mal shot him a glare.

I hastily stood up and dashed into MY room. I became so aware of aches and pains as I started climbing the ladder.

My legs were stiff and sore from lack of use, as were my arms. The recent and old stitches burned and throbbed, and all my muscles screamed from the recent activities I just did.

I slumped over to my bed, MY BED and plopped facedown on the covers, then jumping back up as it killed my bruised and bloody stomach.

"Well this isn't gonna work." I slowly creaked over to my small closet, and flung it open and grabbed a black baggy shirt and black shorts. I slowly lifted my covers up and slid under them, cushioning the achy body parts with pillows. I reached over and plucked the pain pills from my table and dry swallowed. I drifted quickly into a, thankfully, dreamless sleep, not knowing that within the bowels of _Serenity_, something was going horribly wrong.

**Review people. Gracias. **


	15. Killer

My bed bucked and I was thrown off onto the floor. I cried in pain, and winced as the ship bucked again. I pulled myself up and hissed as my whole body ached. I hastily threw on the clothes nearest to me, which just so happened to be my dancing dress.

Before I go on, I must describe this wondrous piece of clothing. It's like a second skin. It deep red and hugs me, with a somewhat low back and sides. It floated down in triangle shaped fabric to my knees. Anyway, back to the story.

I threw my hair back and was thrown onto my butt, screaming as it stretched the skin around my fresh stitches. I shakily stood up and limped over to the ladder.

"I should have gone slept in Marla's room instead." I grumbled, using my weight to swing around the side of the ladder, and slid down the sides instead of the rungs; I didn't want to get stuck on it in case another jolt hit the ship.

"Alexa! Get to the cargo hold now!" Marla yelled at me as she zipped past. I limped, leaning heavily on the walls and infirmary doors.

Another jolt hit the ship, this one worse than the other two. My fingers had a death grip on the infirmary doors, the sharp edges slicing my skin as I struggled to stay on two feet without killing myself. I heard a few screams echoing from the cargo bay and around the ship.

As _Serenity_ stabilized, for the moment anyway, I limped the rest of the way to the cargo bay. As I leaned heavily against the door, I did a quick survey of the room with both my eyes and my mind.

Max was gripping the set of stairs closest to me, fear radiating off of him. Jack was holding Marla as they held on with a death grip to the bottom of one of the catwalks, both of them scared out of their minds. Mom was on the stairs near the airlock, and I was guessing everyone else was trying to figure out the problem, and as I panned out, I could feel fear seeping on the walls, covering me in a sticky gray mess.

I felt a poking in my brain, and glanced up to see Mom staring me in the eyes, awoken from her self-inducted crazy trip.

_Stabilizer broke down, the weather system went corrupt, and the engine is going to quickly break down in multiple areas, causing Kaylee extreme stress and discomfort, for if all those problems happen at once, the ship spirals into chaos and burns up into the atmosphere of Boros, causing us to all die. _

I grimaced. _Thanks. Is she doing anything to fix it? _

_Of course Alexa. Wash is too, with Mal trying to fly us with Zoë. Jayne and Simon are also helping Kaylee, basically doing whatever she tells them too, but it's not working. Wash is needed at the helm, Kaylee in the engine room. Mal and Zoë cannot control the bucks, one of which is coming up in three, two, one…_

I was flung across the cargo bay, skidding across the ground, hitting the airlock doors, and I scrambled for a hold, locking my fingers in the small diamond shaped windows, wincing as the gravity shifted a little bit, making me bang, hard, into the airlock door.

"Alexa!" I heard the voices of Max, Jack, and Marla ring out in unison, worry and fear clouding them, followed by pain from Max and Mom.

"I'm fine." I yelled back at them, wincing as the ship spun on an axis, causing me to be flattened against the airlock door as the artificial gravity crushed me. I lifted my head up as much as I could, looking behind me.

Max was basically sitting on the railing for the stairs, but on the side of it. He had a death grip on the railings. But I didn't see or feel fear for himself. I felt fear for me. I locked eyes with him, and gave him my I-am-fine-so-stop-fretting-unless-you-want-to-wake-up-in-the-airlock look. He stubbornly shook his head.

That's when it happened. The colors that painted Max's canvas of feelings transformed themselves, shifting into pictures, words. I focused, zoned out from the rest of the world. I was freaking out. The love and fear and pain he was feeling were swirling around my head, freaking me out. I began hyperventilating.

_Relax Alexa. Max is trying to project words into your head. Go with the flow, and keep your hands clenched, another bump is coming. _

I clenched my hands, but focused on the feelings of Max. I could see Mom was right, as always. They became fuzzy, yet readable, words.

_I love you and that's why I am worried for you, not me. _

The ship lurched and suddenly I was back on my feet. I ran over to Max, and gave him a quick peck.

"Mom let's go!" She nodded, then ran up her staircase. I left Max and dashed up the stairs, holding onto the railings, my grip tightening every time the ship moved even slightly.

My muscles pulled with every single step, every movement, but I blocked the pain. I ran into Mom at the dining hall.

"You go to the bridge. I must help Kaylee fight the very enemies that crawl within the bowels of the mother." With that, off she ran, leaping over the stairs and flying to the engine room. I spun the other direction and copied Mom.

I made it to the stairs at the bridge when the ship reared up again, bouncing almost as if caught in turbulence. I felt my stomach ride to my throat, and I clutched the rungs of the ladder outside of Aunt Kaylee and Uncle Simon's room. The little lights that hovered around the doorway managed to find all the tiny bruises and they pressed super painfully onto the bruises. I grit my teeth and blocked the pain with all the anger and rage I had fueled in me.

As soon as the ship shifted even a little back to normal I was up the stairs, in the cockpit, standing at Wash's shoulder.

"What is the issue?"

"Something or someone hacked into the ship's mainframe, and basically switched around wires and commands and basic controls, making it almost impossible to figure out anything-"

"Unless you are Wash or a genius so I'd advise you, Alexa, to get your mom and get her over here before we all blow up." Mal cut in. I shot him a glare.

"You forget she is incapable of doing almost anything right now considering she had an attack. Also, I AM a genius with an IQ of over 160, so move out of my way." I shoved Mal out of the way and sat down at the copilot's station, standing at the controls until I felt a chair hit the back of my knees. I sat down without a thought, my eyes running over the flashing lights, calculating everything that I needed to know.

A strong surge of emotion suddenly hit me. I realized that I had been holding it all back, forcing it from my mind, and then it overwhelmed me, a wave crashing over me, drowning my thoughts. I needed a raft. My hand shot out and instantly grabbed hold of whoever was nearest from my memory.

My hand gripped fabric, and only a few people wore long sleeved shirts on the ship. I honed in on the emotions, following them all around, till I wasn't drowning anymore, I was more floating deep in the abyss of feelings.

Sadness for not being able to protect us from this horror, fear at the prospect of being tossed around like a salad, worry for family, the need to follow the captain's orders no matter at what cost. _Zoë._

I let her feelings continue to swirl about. The arm beneath mine relaxed a little, and I let myself anchor onto her. Slowly, brick by brick, the familiar wall that I placed up so many times came into my mind. Quickly I dismantled it, and placed steel there.

_I needed to be clear for this. _

Suddenly my hand was off of Zoë and I felt air whoosh into my lungs painfully. I looked around wildly, feeling lost for a moment. Then I realized something; I couldn't feel anything.

"Alexa? Are you okay?" I branched out, but didn't feel a thing from Wash. A smile broke my grimace in two.

"I can think! Which wires and technical buttons were messed around with?" I intoned.

********

Across the ship, River Cobb smiled, thinking about how easy it was to block the only other person who could sense liars. She turned to her reflection and a glassy eyes stare gleamed back from it.

"Riv can you pass me the monkey wrench?" Kaylee asked from under the heart of _Serenity. _

River picked up the wrench, walked around the engine, and stuck her hand under it, banging the back of Kaylee's skull in the right spot as to avoid a concussion and knock her out for at least two hours.

River stood up and threw the wrench down, ran over, and slid out the door, locking it tight. She bent down and pulled a small pistol from her right boot, and a knife from her left. River Cobb, the Alliance-trained assassin, was back.

**Review or this story will end up on hiatus. **


	16. She Strikes Once, Twice, Three Times

I shook slightly was the ship rocked again, the seatbelt keeping me pressed tight against the seat.

"Like this Wash?" I yelped as another few sparks were emitted from the control panel.

"Keep it up; I almost got her back in full control. I just need Kaylee to reboot some equipment and we will be good. Kaylee? Can you hear me? Kaylee?" I heard a little desperation in Wash's voice as he called for Kaylee but no one answered.

"I will go make sure she's okay." Mal spun on his heel and practically ran to the engine room. Kaylee was his little sister.

A small sound was cried and a thump followed that. We all turned to the door and stared down the hallway. I looked over at Wash and Zoë. They had such similar looks of confusion on their faces I almost bust out giggling, but the ship lurched again.

"Lemme go see what happened." Zoë walked tall and proud to the engine room. A shot was fired. My eyes hit Wash's and we both were up and out of our seats in seconds.

"Baby you okay?" Wash dashed ahead of me. I slowed down, surprised how he didn't notice that the hallway's lights were out. A yell started suddenly, then was silenced. Fear gripped me. Facing the dark corridor, I backed up and then spun on one heel, sprinting to the cargo bay, not even feeling the ship lurch beneath me, even though it most definately did once or twice.

"Something's happened! Captain, Zoë, Wash, and Kaylee are down!" I yelled. Dad instantly stood up.

"What do you mean? No one has breached the ship. Alexa Jane, tell me you can't feel someone." I started, then my eyes widened considerably.

"I have these walls built up, and I can't feel anything…"

Dad growled and stepped closer to me, grabbing my shoulder. "Well you better damn well get those walls down, NOW." he barked at me. I nodded, then lurched forward as _Serenity _shifted again.

"I need someplace quietish and you guys have to stay on watch. Do not keep your back to any doors or anything and call Uncle Simon in here now along with Inara, Marla, and Jack. I do not think we should stray apart." Dad looked at me, accepting my authority right now.

"Max go get them now." He dashed off quickly, and everyone else followed back in under a minute.

"Here's the plan; keep your back to the walls, not under a catwalk, and keep a weapon loaded and in your hand the whole time. I am going to sit in the corner opposite the stairs next to the airlock and try and take these wretched walls down. Stay someplace with considerable cover, because whoever or whatever is behind this has a gun for sure; Wash and I heard gunshots. Go." No one questioned me. As daughter of Jayne and River no one ever questioned my authority when it came to me.

I watched and waited until everyone was set. Inara was staying close to her son, for she had no weapon as of right now. Jack and Simon were around the same area as well, their crappy weapon skills almost equaling an average person's when put together. Marla was close by them, less than ten feet, as to stay close to Jack, plus she was scared. I could see it in her body posture.

Dad was leaning against some crates, but had Betsy in his left hand and his right hand was positioned on his belt, ready to grab Carolyn in case firearms were traded.

Max hovered near me, both guns out, blood seeping through one of his bandages. I placed my hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?" Sincerity clouded my voice.

Max nodded, but the pain was obvious in his eyes. (Even though I cannot read emotions right now, I can still pick up on body language and signals easier than most people).

"I am fine Alexa. I got your back." I nodded, then sat down, each shoulder blade on a different wall. I closed my eyes and slowly relaxed, concentration all my energy on the steel plating I had placed up.

I attacked it. I beat at it. Nothing I did took it down. I growled, and felt Max's comforting hand unclench my fists I had balled up.

I stepped back from this wall and looked at it with my full eye. I took a deep breath, and looked back at it with a new eye.

There were chinks in this wall from previous attacks. There must have been a seam from when I put them up. I walked closer to the wall, running a hand over it. There was a seam, small as it was.

I took a deep breath, and when I released it, I thrust every ounce of energy at it. The wall shuddered and bent backwards on itself, letting a small stream of anger rush through. I let it seep through me, the usual feeling of feeling feelings flowing back into me.

Using the anger and rage, I over powered the wall, and it shattered beneath me. Emotions showered me, from all sides. This time I had no anchor.

I let them fill me up to bursting, then let go of the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. I got used to it.

I opened my eyes back up to the real world. Sweat drenched my body and my hands were clenched in fists. I stood up, and brushed myself off. Everyone looked at me.

"Well?" Dad questioned. "What do you feel?"

I stretched out, looking in every nook and cranny. I brushed past Mal, Zoë, Kaylee, and Wash. They were alive. Then I felt something small, yet huge. I poked at it, but it reared its head and growled at me, hissing, snapping. I quickly shot back into myself again.

"You aren't going to believe me Dad." I lifted tear filled eyes to his sharp blue ones.

"Why?"

I took a deep breath, my voice full of tears.

"It is Mom."

**Short, yet to the point. Please review if you love me. And yes, this is the shortest chapter I have written in this story I think. **


	17. Mother vs Daughter

A wave of disbelief showered over me. I shuddered as Dad glared, his gaze turning stony, rage flowing in him.

"You're lying." Those words bit into me.

I shook my head, tears falling to the cold floor. "I wish I was."

"Liar!" Dad strode closer to me and gripped my wrists, hard. "Tell me the truth Alexa Jane! My wife, my moonbrain is NOT attacking everyone on this ship! No gorram way!"

"Jayne!" Dad's head whirled around, a snarl on his face. Inara kept her stare stony. "Let her go." His head whirled back to me, and realization came into his features. His hands dropped my wrists.

"Prove it." I nodded and picked up a knife. I held it to my arm. Shock emitted from everyone's pores into my mind. Max and Dad's eyes widened and both their hands wrapped around my arm at the same time.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What the hell Alexa?"

I glared at both of them, and shook my arm free. "Watch, listen, protect when all hell breaks loose." I sliced a small portion of my arm, wincing from the pain. Blood slowly welled up and dripped down my arm, but I didn't care. I strode to the weights. I took careful trajectory, calculating the angle I needed to position my arm, and when I needed to release the knife.

I lifted my arm and shot the knife down into the common room, and down as far as I could go. I immediately backed up to the airlock doors, where everyone else was converging behind the crates and boxes loaded there.

"Sit and wait." They listened to me. I crouched in front of everyone and waited, quickly placing up my familiar brick walls. I watched, my eyes flicking from each doorway every few milliseconds.

I saw her. A shadow graced one of the upper doorways, the one to the left if you are looking from the airlock into the cargo bay. I instantly tensed.

Like a cat, she slaked across the catwalk, until she was standing tall and proud on the one section with no railings. Her Reaver blade was in one hand, a pistol in the other. Her black dress fell around her as if wind was blowing, her dark brown, black hair hanging like serpents.

I stood up, my deep red dress mimicking hers, considering they were often same style. Of course the first outfit in my closet had to be my only, good dress.

"State your business." I cried. Right after I said that I just realized how stupid I sounded.

"Commandeer your ship, take you back to the Alliance, just like I was programmed." She responded.

"Not if I stop you." She shot me a wicked glare.

"You will not."

"Then come down here and let us fight fairly however. Drop your weapons." She obeyed. With that, she did a flip off of the catwalk onto the ground, barely making a sound as she landed on the balls of her feet.

She started off in a crouch, circling towards me. I didn't take the bait. She would have a straight shot to our, well for the moment anyway my, family. I stood still, waiting for her to make the first strike, just like she and Dad taught me.

Suddenly, Dad stood up, his gun lowered. "Riv, don't you remember me? Moonbrain, you have to remember me." She looked at him, took a quick study, then fast as lightning snapped her leg up, catching Dad in the chest, causing him to flip over the crates, landing unable to breathe.

"That's it." my anger took over my smarts and I launched myself at her.

I quickly took a sharp uppercut to the jaw. I deserved it, but anger and rage fueled me, not cold hard Alliance training. I twirled away from her for a second to gather myself and remember what she used to tell me.

_Never think you are losing, for then you most surely will. Always push yourself. Use your feelings to block out pain. Always win. Always, always make yourself win, no matter what costs. In this life and world we cannot afford to lose at anything. _

I finished my spin and threw up a roundhouse kick, hitting her square in the shoulder. She ducked under my leg, and threw her own leg up. I nimbly dodged it, skirting around and punching at her throat, only to have her catch my hand and flip me over onto my back. Using her own momentum, I pulled with all my weight and she toppled down, forcing me back up to my feet. I dashed back, taking a breather.

We are so equally matched in this game. She can read my mind and picture what I am going to do, but I can sense it in her feelings and I can read her body posture and signals to expect what is coming.

She stood up and looked at me, a blank stare in her eyes.

"Alexa!" I instantly threw my hand up and caught the hypo that Simon had chucked in my direction.

"it is impossible for you to inject me with that." She motioned to the hypo clenched in my hand. I snickered and shot her a sarcastic look.

"That's what you think." my leg went up and caught her in the stomach. She doubled over, then straightened up, jumping into the air and kicking my shoulder, as I effectively moved, otherwise her foot would have broken my neck.

The force of her kick knocked my right side back, and as I reeled forward, I balled up my fist, and landed one right on her cheek. She followed through with the momentum from my punch, and shot up a roundhouse kick to my side. I stumbled, and her hand came up into my mouth and now my lip is split right down the middle. Blood flowed into my mouth and I spat onto the floor.

I ran and jumped, snapping up my leg, only to have her catch my leg and swing me down onto the ground. She kicked at my side, then flipped onto my stomach, straddling me, her hands tightening around my throat. I grasped her wrists and pulled, only to have her tighten her fingers.

"Alexa!" I faintly heard my name called, felt the emotions slip away, my vision grew darker, it got harder to breathe.

I felt nothing, yet felt everything. All I could see, and feel her, the image of my mom, yet it wasn't her. Her feelings were shrouded, like a dark sheet pulled over the usually vivid colors. I focused all my remaining energy on yanking the sheet off of her.

Suddenly, I felt my throat tighten completely. I had no way left to breathe. I held my breath, closed my eyes, and pulled, tugged on the sheet. It came off inch, by inch, but it was way to slow. My lungs ached painfully. It was a struggle I was losing, and I knew I was going to die if I could not pull the Alliance-induced layer off of her.

My lungs were going to burst. The pain and little energy I had left, gave me one final burst of energy, and I yanked.

The sheet disappeared. All of a sudden the painful weight that crushed my neck was gone, and I sucked in wonderful, glorious air. I opened my eyes and looked up to see her locked in combat with Max.

"NO!" I cried out as she flipped her leg up and caught the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. She pulled a concealed handgun that I had given her last Christmas from a thigh holster and pointed it at his head. Adrenaline coursed through my body, and I leapt to my feet, spun, and threw all my strength into one kick, aimed at her head.

_Do it Alexa, get up so you can save him! _I projected my thoughts as loudly as I could, made them into a lie, so I could get away with it.

My foot made a connection, and I instantly felt her body go weak. My leg soared down back to my side, and I felt the sheet rip away from her canvas for good before it was shrouded in darkness, the punishment of being unconscious.

"Max! Oh, Max, why are you so stupid and thickheaded and blinded by emotions?" I cried while sitting at his side. I made sure he had a pulse, and immediately felt relief that he did.

I saw that Dad had woken back up, and since his face was all wet I guess it was because Jack had splashed him with his always handy water bottle. Dad was cradling Mom in his arms, then he picked her up and carried her to the infirmary.

That caught my attention. "Dad! You have to leave her here! We have to get Simon and the rest of them from when Mom knocked them out!" He turned to me.

"Alright Alexa Jane. Jack watch River, make sure she doesn't wake up." I flinched at Dad's harsh tone.

True, River Tam was no more, her Alliance-induced crazy attack was in the, recent, past, but I could sense it wasn't over.

It never will be over.

* * *

**I am so disappointed in my readers. You guys haven't reviewed in an awfully long time. Please review for the good of all mankind. Gracias.**


	18. Scars

Scars. We see them as little marks that mar skin and tell a story. I have my scars. They cut across my torso from hip to shoulder, a small one across my cheek, more slicing across my hands and legs. But then there are the ones we all hide, the ones that end up getting reopened again and again.

My eyes turned to my ceiling. Up in the corner, where the blue sky turned black, was my mom's signature in white, all loops and curls, with mine under hers. Fresh tears welled up in my eyes and I flipped over onto my stomach.

This was hell. Mom was tied up in the storage locker again, and four people still in the infirmary, Uncle Simon included in them. Dad was ignoring me, and when he was forced to acknowledge me, he speaks with venom in his voice. I don't know why he blames me for this. I didn't trigger the Alliance training. She did it to me, so I couldn't feel her lies.

I pushed myself up, push up style, and walked to the mirror that hung on my closet door. Haggard eyes looked back at me. Dark circles, bloodshot, and swollen from crying and lack of sleep. Skin hanging off my bones. I haven't wandered out of my room in two weeks. I haven't opened the rice paper door. Hell, I even went so far as to even push the ladder down. Hey, I got a bathroom in my room and I got a food stash.

My eyes dropped to the scar that cut across me, the most recent one. It burned under my own stare.

Something moved outside my door. I felt unhappiness, worry. It grew closer and I recognized the taste of Max in my mouth.

"Alexa? You still alive?" I nodded then realized he couldn't see me.

"Yes." My voice sounded hoarse, unused.

"Open up. Now." I felt the authority ring in his voice. Something had happened. I shut off my light and slid the door open about an inch.

"What?" I barked, my voice gaining strength as I got pissed off that someone dared to annoy me.

The door was brutally slammed open. I jumped back like a startled rabbit. Max towered over me, concern alight across his face.

"What is the matter with you? Why go into hiding? You didn't do anything!"

"But that's just it! I did do something by telling Dad the truth, and it feels as if the whole ship is against me for saving our butts!" I was forced against the wall, hands held by my wrists at Max's chest. Anger radiated off of him

"Listen here Alexa Jane. We miss you! Hell, I talked to every damn _hun dan _on this boat even your _wo de ma _dad and they are worried sick about you! God if you had come out of your room at all for the past two weeks you would have realized that! Your mom has been hiding around like what she did before any of us were born! Get your gorram head out of the clouds and come back to us, to me!"

With that, his lips were on mine, then gone in a second. Max spun me around and walked to my closet. He yanked out my bathroom bag, my purple shirt, black pants, and my black bra and underwear.

"Hey!" I darted over, but Max whirled around and grabbed my shoulder in his vice-like grip.

"Come, NOW!" he yanked me over to my door and shoved me onto the little ledge. "Go." I slithered down the ladder, and tried to make a run to the infirmary, where I could lock myself in, but a hand clamped over my mouth and around my waist at the same time.

"No one is here except us kids, River and Simon. They are staying away."

Damn. I instantly stopped struggling.

"Here. Marla is in there. Get cleaned up, or I will kick your little white ass." I was forcibly shoved into the blue bathroom. Marla sat on the toilet, waiting.

"Finally. Took him long enough."

"I'm going to kick your butts." I hissed.

"Oh well. Now get into the shower and strip. And if your refuse, Max is sitting right in front of the door. I'll call him in and have him take your clothes off." My face turned about five shades of red as I confirmed he was. I instantly jumped in the shower and stripped, throwing my clothes over the door. A bottle of soap, shampoo, conditioner, a razor, and shaving cream were thrown at me, one after the other.

"Ouch! You got my head!"

"Good, maybe it will knock some sense into you!" Marla sing songed.

My hand shot to the handle, and I shrieked as the freezing water hit my greasy hair. I can't believe that I forgot that this shower did that. I am a stupid _hun dan. _

About twenty minutes later, I threw my hand out of the shower and demanded for a towel. The lovely fluffiness felt so good. I snuggled into the towel and wrapped it around me, stepping out of the shower stall.

"I expect your teeth brushed, body lot ionized, and hair brushed." I nodded, then shoved Marla out the door, locking it behind her. I turned back and stared at myself. Hell, I looked so much better clean.

I did exactly what Marla told me to do, but in a half dreamlike state. I am so tired. Dreams wake me up every night, bad ones. Horrendous ones. Blood filled ones.

They are my scars.

**This chapter sucks, but review anyway. And I am so sorry bout not updating, but school and a video game addiction keep me off my computer a lot. Sorry! Don't throw tomatoes at me! Oh, crap. *ducks as tomatoes come her way* **


	19. Peace at Last

**WARNING! LAST CHAPTER! WARNING! WARNING! LAST CHAPTER! WARNING! LAST CHAPTER! WARNING! LAST CHAPTER!!!!!!!!**

I trailed my fingers through my hair, throwing it back into a ponytail, yanking on my normal black long sleeved shirt, pants, and boots. I hastily clipped on my belt, sliding my pistols and knives into their proper places.

It had been three weeks since my meltdown, five since I had fought it out with Mom. Serenity was becoming peaceful again. Everyone's injuries were mostly healed, Dad had forgiven me, Mal was happy because we had a job…life was mostly good.

Except for Mom.

She had gone back to her old ways of hiding and speaking in riddles. She even started wearing dresses again, and some nights she would refuse to go to sleep for fear of nightmares. Mal had deemed her unsafe again.

I shook my head to clear it of all thought. We had a job on Greenleaf. That meant money which meant more real food and more weaponry to be bought.

The job was the simple and basic in-and-out that we all loved. Basically, we had to break into a warehouse, retrieve some items that were stolen from our supplier, and get back to Boros with the items. Then we would get paid. Sounds easy right?

Not when the best fighter aboard the ship who happens to be a reader had returned to her crazy ways. So they are resorting to me, her only slightly insane daughter. I walked out of my room to run into none other than Max.

Suddenly his lips were on mine, his hands cupping my cheeks. I responded by throwing my arms around his neck, keeping him close to me. After a few moments of being surrounded by nothing but Max, I pulled back a bit, leaning my forehead against his.

"What was that for?" He smiled and hugged me closer.

"Because I love you, duh." I smiled.

"Love you too." With that, I turned and made my way to the cargo bay, Max on my heels. "Oomph."

I looked up from the floor to see none other than Marla sprawled out next to me, rubbing the bump on the back of her head. "Thanks Alexa." She smirked, sticking out her tongue at me. I playfully kicked her foot and shot my own tongue out at her as Max helped me to my feet.

An insane itch on my stomach made me growl. I got my stitches removed two weeks ago, after a lot of delaying from Simon. I had been "too active." His words not mine. Anyway, the scars itched a lot, a lot, and it sucked monkey balls.

"Come here you three." Mal called from the airlock doors. We had been parked at Boros the past few weeks since Mom's attack. We had to recuperate and whatnot.

I grabbed Max's hand and basically ran over to where Mal, Zoë, and Dad were standing, Marla on my heels. Jake wasn't going today because he was with Kaylee fixing up the ship.

"What is the plan this time?" I asked loudly as I reached their circle. Mal shot me a look. Responding with a smile, I looked down at the paper stack that he held. It was covered in squiggly handwriting and diagrams labeled with our group's names. "What is this?"

"This," Mal said, waving the paper around, "Is the plan. Basically, the job is simple. We have to get into a warehouse and retrieve some items for our employer. I did not ask what the items were, nor did I ask if we will meet any resistance." At my raised eyebrow and Zoë's, Mal shook his head and laughed.

"Kidding you two. There shouldn't be any resistance because apparently the warehouse has no security beyond the front doors. The items are in a box about three feet by three feet and they are, apparently, just family heirlooms. He needs us to get them because he cannot have access to the warehouse anymore because he was run off planet. No Alexa, I didn't ask why. Better to leave people to their own problems. We don't need to be helping every person in the universe." He reprimanded me with a raised eyebrow. I simply shot him my innocent look.

"That sounds fairly simple. So why do you need the hired gun?" Dad asked, sounding super confused. Mal shot him a look.

"In case something goes wrong. And something ALWAYS manages to go wrong when we go on our jobs. Always!"

"Whoa Dad relax. Nothing will go wrong. Besides, if something does manage to go wrong, we got Alexa here." Max said, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close, kissing my forehead. I felt my cheeks blush and I smirked at my dad's disgusted face.

"Come on Dad. You have done much worse with Mo-" I clamped my mouth shut as a dark look fell on my Dad's face. He blames himself for Mom's 'condition', as we all call it. "Sorry." I mumbled, hanging my head.

"Can we go now?" Marla whined from my other side. She really wasn't a patient person, and even now the whirling emotions of impatience drowned out much else.

"Marla chill out please!" I yelled a little loud, gripping the sides of my head with my hands.

"Sorry." I heard her faintly whimper as I built up my brick walls, blocking everyone out.

I figured I like bricks more than steel.

"It's alright. Just unprepared for all your impatience. Caught me off guard. Sorry for snapping." I said, looking intently at Mal.

"What?"

"Can we leave before we all go stir crazy?"

"Fine." Mal jumped into the mule.

"Hell no. You are not driving." Zoë stated, pushing Mal brutally out of the drivers seat.

"Just wanted to see what you said." He responded with a cheeky grin. I smiled at his happiness, then jumped into the mule next to Marla and Dad; Max was sitting in the front with the other two.

"And we are off!" Marla shrieked as Zoë punched it. I laughed as the sun and wind beat against my face, feeding off the happiness that emulated from everyone else.

You see, I can control the feelings I feel from someone if I concentrate when my walls are up. It is easier than being bombarded by every feeling on the face of the planet without trying.

"And this is the warehouse." Mal said as we rushed by the outskirts of town. "We can park somewhere close and just walk the rest of the way here."

"Wait, I thought I came so that we would have an escape vehicle." Marla stated. Mal spun around and looked at her. I felt confusion, then realization spawn from him.

"You are stupid Captain." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"You obviously wanted Marla to come, so you lied and said we would need a getaway pilot, which you don't need." I pointed out. Anger and embarrassment radiated from Marla.

"Is that true?"

"Of course not…Okay yes it is."

"_Hun dan_."

"Marla." Zoë warned as she pulled into an empty alley where she parked the mule.

"What? He is!" Marla cried dramatically. I laughed, jumping gracefully onto the ground.

"So we going in the back door or front door?" I asked.

"Back."

"But I thought you said it would be okay for us to go in here?"

"Yes, but you can never be too careful." At that, I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever you say." I mumbled, walking around the back of the huge warehouse. I gently pulled my pistol out, walking lightly over to the door. I gently stretched out with my feelings, sensing only five men in the huge building, and none of them were close. I closed back in on myself. "Five men in the whole building."

"That's it?" I shot a look over at Dad. He sounded depressed when he said that.

"Jayne, I would prefer not to get shot this heist, so five men is a good thing." Mal cut it, nodding at me to open the door.

"But, that's not fun." Dad whined. I smiled as I bent down in front of the lock, expertly picking the lock with the hairpin I had brought. Mom had taught me all those years ago. Mom…

"Done." I gently kicked the door open with one leg, balancing on my other one. "What?" I asked as everyone looked at me funny.

"How can you possibly kick the door open with one leg when crouching down like that?" Marla asked, her eyes wide. I laughed, jumping lightly to my feet. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I spoke.

"It's something called a dancer's balance and grace my dear." I spun around, gently pushing the door open to its full capacity.

"What does this cargo look like?" Zoë asked. I felt annoyance blossom in Mal, and I giggled. Max and Marla shared the 'she's reading other people's feelings right now' look. I shot them a glare.

"It's in a box stamped with Serenity stamped on the side. What?" He asked at the looks we gave him.

"Is it that one?" Dad asked, pointing to the middle of the warehouse. On the very top of the shelf, was a smallish box, about two feet by two feet by two feet. Mal was wrong with his dimensions. It sat all alone on the very top of the shelf, and in big purple box letters said Serenity across the side.

That's when I noticed it. The downfall of this operation. The box was directly in the line of sight of the all window offices on the second floor, where I could see the five guys sitting and lounging, chatting, playing some cards.

"Gorramit." I heard Dad and Mal whisper at the same time. "How are we supposed to get it now?" Dad cheekily said.

"Alexa? Can you?" Mal gestured to the box.

"Hell no." Dad grabbed my shoulder and held me close against his large chest. "She is not climbing up that shelf to get your stuff. Not on my watch." Anger bloomed through me, so much _**red…**_

"Dad!" I pulled away from his grip, clutching my head. "Relax please!" I shrieked. I felt Max and Marla both reach for me, but I shrugged away. "I can get the box; I already can see the proper way to climb up there. I just need a small distraction so the men won't notice once the box vanishes."

"I'll do that." Marla and Zoë said simultaneously. At their almost identical expressions, and feelings, I busted out laughing, again.

"Will you stop doing that?" Dad whined. I giggled, and promptly smacked his big arm.

"I think this would be more suited for a father-son distraction don't you?" I looked pointedly at Mal and Max, the facial expression of fear exactly the same on both of them. "Please?" I turned on my innocent face.

"Fine. But Max," Mal rounded on his son. "You have to follow my lead, as I am the captain and your dad."

Max rolled his eyes sarcastically, eager to get on with it. "Yes sir." He cried, giving Mal a salute. I waited until I felt surprise blossom on the five strange men, then ran over to the tall shelf.

"Be careful darlin'." Dad whispered, taking watch with Zoë. Marla, as always, was my spotter as I started up, using each separate shelf as a push off point, the boxes as handholds.

Most of them were heavy enough to support my small frame.

Just so you know, I inherited my mom's smallish body.

"Gorramit." I whispered as one of the smaller boxes went falling, falling, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Hey! Anyone there?" I heard from one of the second-story windows. I flattened myself against the shelf, feeling Marla, Zoë, and Dad move so they weren't in the man's line of sight. "Answer me or I'll come out there!" He yelled again, agitated.

"_Wo de ma_." I cursed as I felt him start down the stairs to come out and inspect over here. Flinging my body up higher, I managed to grasp the top shelf, the one with the box that we needed.

_Come on Alexa, you can do it. _I told myself, grabbing the shelf with both hands, making my body stretched out, and to make it all worse, the old injuries were starting to sting, and the one on my hand was burning, and the man was getting steadily closer.

I forced myself to do a pull up, making my feet leave the second to the top shelf, meaning I was hanging two stories up, holding on with my arms that were starting to burn.

Shooting a glance over, I spied the flashlight beam of the man turn down the aisle that I was hanging over. I felt the watch out team move into the other aisle, and that's when I spied it; there was a ladder right next to me, within reach of my foot.

I swung, the sudden shift of weight in my hands scaring me for a second, but my feet both landed on a rung of the metal ladder. Shifting my center of balance, I quickly grabbed the ladder with both hands, shimmying the short way up to the top shelf, making me crouch behind the box.

"What do we have here?" The man asked. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had just made it. Very slowly, I turned around on the shelf, so that I was looking down at Marla. Being two stories up and having a suspicious warehouse guard right below me, I couldn't really yell to get her attention, so instead, I reached into my pocket and yanked out the pin I had picked the lock with, dropping it on her head, making her look up.

I gently opened up my mind, letting the colors of everyone around me flood for a second. I latched onto Marla's feelings, concern, worry, adrenaline, excitement, apprehensive, waiting.

Waiting for…? Then it dawned on me. She had alerted Dad, and he was turned around, waiting for me and the small box to fall, even with the man on the other side.

"How did you fall you little box?" The man said loudly. I felt Zoë snap to attention, grabbing her knife in her hand. I watched, and even in the faint light, I managed to see her gently tap Dad's bicep, meaning she was going to take care of the man so that I could get down without alerting him. I waited, patiently, nursing my burning hand, until I heard the faint thud the man made as Zoë took care of him.

"Box first." I whisper-yelled. Grabbing the small box, I was surprised that it actually didn't weight that much. Granted, I am quite strong, but this was barely anything. I positioned myself on the shelf so that I was lying on my stomach, arms out over Dad, the box ready to fall. I was waiting for his feelings to say ok.

When the familiar blue of impatience showered over me, I dropped the box, hearing Dad catch it with no trouble. The only problem now was, that if any of the other men saw me up here, we were screwed.

And I think by now, you all know our luck.

"Hey!" I whipped my head around to see the four remaining men staring through their window at me, wide eyed. Max and Mal sprang into action at the same time the guards did.

Thankfully, I felt them all whip out their guns before they actually did, so I was on my feet and running across the tops of the shelves before bullets started flying.

The familiar sound of a gun and a bullet breaking glass made me stumble, almost falling off one of the shelves.

"Damnit!" I cried as the shelf beneath me started running out of space. I was either dead, or I was going to have to basically slide down the ladder. I chose the latter option, grabbing onto the ladder with both hands, slipping down the sides, not using the rungs, so that I could get out of the line of fire as soon as possible.

Once my combat boot clad feet hit the ground, I was off running, over to the back door. Stretching out my mind, I felt Max and Mal make their way out the front entrance, almost at the mule. The rest of the team was unharmed and at the back door already, giving me cover fire, but I felt Mal cringe every time he moved his arm.

He got shot, again.

"Alexa!" Marla cried, grabbing my wrist as I barely made it out the door ahead of a dizzying round of machine gun fire. I followed her over to the alley that the mule was parked at, launching myself into the air to land on the front hood of the mule.

"Here!" I yelled, grabbing Marla by her wrists and pulling her into her seat as Zoë pulled away from the warehouse, zipping through the town in the direction of _Serenity_.

"Why? Why is it always me? Why do I always get shot?" I heard Mal complaining in the front.

"Stop being a pansy ass. It's just a graze." Dad said, leaning back next to me, placing his arm over the back of the seat as we closed in on the ship.

"It hurts!" Mal countered, throwing a look over at Dad.

"I've had more bullet wounds in my life than you have had jobs."

"So?"

"Nice comeback Dad." Max said, laughingly as we pulled into the cargo bay. I jumped onto the ground, flexing my muscles as I landed crouched like a cat. I stood up, walking over to the intercom button.

"We're on Wash, take us out of here. And Simon, Mal needs you again." I said.

"Kay. Again?" Wash playfully responded. I rolled my eyes, smiling.

"Yes."

"He attracts the bullets like a magnet." I laughed, feeling _Serenity _take off beneath my feet, the soft vibration echoing in me.

"That he does." Uncle Simon said from my right. I jumped, surprised.

"Hey, you scared me!" He shrugged.

"Usually you can feel everyone where they are, so I get you when distracted." I stuck my tongue out at him, and Uncle Simon laughed.

"Mal! I need to look at your graze, again."

"Gorram bullets, they love me like mosquitoes love Inara," I scratched my head, unsure if that was actually what Mal said as he brushed by me.

"Hey, Alexa." I looked up to the catwalk above me where Max was standing.

"Yes?"

"You did good. And you came away with no injuries. I consider that a plus." I laughed, blushing lightly at Max's comments.

"Thanks, nice distracting, it almost worked the whole time for once." Max chuckled, sending shivers down my spine.

"Yeah, too bad it didn't."

"Hey, no harm done." I said, spreading my arms wide.

"True. You going to talk to your mom again?" At that, my mood darkened a bit.

Every day since Mom had gone back to her old ways, I have been trying to reason with her, make her the Mom I knew and grew up with, the very lucid one with only a few bad days. It hasn't worked yet.

"Yeah." Max must have noticed my shift in mood, for he walked down the stairs to give me a hug.

"Sorry Alexa Jane." I smirked, smacking him. He knew I hated that name.

"It's kay. I'll be back." I said, gently disentangling myself from his arms to start my journey to the cockpit. Mom usually sat in the space right under the huge windows a lot now.

"Wash can you?" I motioned for the door.

"Um yeah, let me just finish plotting the course back to Boros. Done." With that, Wash stood up, stopping by me, resting his hand gently on my shoulder.

"She has been there all day, and I think most the night, rambling about the stars speaking to her."

"Thanks."

"Good luck. And I mean that." He said, looking at me with those clear blue eyes.

"Thanks Wash." I gave him a parting hug before closing the door and locking it. "Mom?" I asked, as if she would respond. I walked forward, stepping onto the small stairs that went down to the spot where she was sitting.

"The stars sing to me, blabbing the history of the worlds, of people. Then they disappear, vanish."

"Mom look, you are not the River you were seventeen years ago. You are River Cobb, my mother, not River Tam."

"Hands of blue, two by two."

"We had a job today, and I used your training to help us finish it. I love you Mom, but you have to snap out of this. Please." For the first time in weeks, she turned her head to me and stared at me with those dark brown eyes.

"Alexa Jane Cobb. Daughter of Jayne Austin Cobb and River Maria Cobb, fifteen years old, birthday in exactly three months and two days." A smile lit up my face.

"Yes Mom, it's me your daughter." She reached a hand out to me, touching the hair that resembled hers to the nail.

"Serpentine."

"Like yours." I pointed out. Her hand went from my hair to her own. "Here's a brush." I reached onto the copilot console and pulled a mahogany brush from it, tossing it lightly to Mom. She caught it, studying it.

"Mahogany is very rare, only 150 trees, all situated in a safe greenhouse on Greenleaf."

"It's a brush." I did the motion of brushing my hair, and I smiled, happy she remembered at least that.

"No more serpents like Medusa." She said a few minutes later, after her hair was brushed.

"Yep. Do you remember me?"

"Remembering brings upon bad memories, horrible things, Reavers, hands of blue, blood, so much red and blood."

"Mom! I have to go now. I love you."

"I love you too my daughter." At that, my eyes shot up, staring at her. She smiled that mom smile.

"You remember!"

"Sometimes when I am me."

"Thank Buddha!" I yelled, doing a happy dance.

"Buddhist- religion from Earth that was." I wasn't listening, just happy that she was remembering.

"Do you remember who your husband is?"

"Man with a girl's name."

"Yes!" I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. I opened my mind, letting the half-shrouded canvas of Mom flow through me.

You see, when she is River Tam, when she isn't the person she normally is, her feelings are hidden. Right now, she is half lucid, half remembering, which is all I have wanted.

"Mom remembers!" I shrieked over the intercom, excited beyond belief. I shut it off, giddy, turning back to Mom.

"If you really remember more now, you will tell me why you acted like River Tam, back after being rescued." I ordered. I watched as she wrapped her arms around her legs, staring up at the sky.

"Embarrassment, pain, couldn't face what I had done."

"We all have forgiven you."

"I know." She turned her eyes which always looked a little sad to me. "I read it."

"Really?" I asked, challenging her. Mom could never back down from a challenge.

"Yes. But I am not over it, the stars still sting, the buzzing won't vanish like it used to." I walked over to her, sitting down and wrapping my arms around her.

"I'll help you Mom. You taught me how to build walls in my mind, how to not be crazy like you. I will help you, I swear. By the way, if you remember Max, try not to kill him; He loves me and I love him."

"Love is a strong liking or affection for someone."

"I know."

"If dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, why do they prance around still?"

"You can ask Wash that. I'm just glad you are partially back to being you!" I yelled, happy again.

"Hey? Alexa? Hello?" I heard the grainy voice of Mal call over the intercom. Standing up, I reached over the console, pulling the mike to my mouth.

"Yes?"

"Jayne opened the box. It is a bunch of legal documents and such, all of them worth quite a bit of money, and Zoë figured that since we get a cut of 40 percent, that you get quite a bit for getting us the box. We also figured that we will be eating real food and get us the new parts we need on Boros. We will be living good for some time. I just wanted to thank you for being you and helping us on this job. Love you like my daughter."

Tears were in my eyes from all these great things happening.

"Thanks Captain. Love you like my other father." He chuckled.

"By the way, I am going to trust you and Max."

Everything cheesy and good is happening. Finally, for once in my life, everything is going right for one day.

"Thank you Capt'."

"You call me Mal and you call me Captain. Hell, make up your mind Alexa Jane!" I laughed at that, hearing Mom burst out in tinkling laughter as well, making my smile bigger.

"Hey, I'll be right down."

"Don't die on the way." Shaking my head, I reached for Mom, and she stood, brushing off her butt.

"Come on, let's get you changed."

"I am not throwing this dress out Alexa."

"I never said that!"

"You thought it."

"Come on." I clambered down the ladder that led into Mom and Dad's room. All along one wall was their collection of various weapons. I smiled as I walked over to the closet and pulled out her normal clothes; black baggy pants, combat boots, and a green shirt, like the ones that Zoë wears. "Get changed, you have been wearing those clothes for about a week straight."

Once she was dressed, we walked over to the cargo bay, where everyone else was either talking, working out, or pouring over the legal documents that we had gotten for our contact.

"Riv?" I watched as Dad's eyes looked from me, to Mom, and back again.

"She's better Dad, and by that, she actually remembers things now." At the smile that was placed on his face, I smiled, happy. Dad dropped his weights, practically running over to Mom, sweeping her into his arms and giving her a huge bear hug, almost crying he was so happy and relieved. I shared a look with Max.

This, this peace, was how life should be. And you know what?

It lasted the rest of the way to Boros.

**This story is officially complete. I know the ending was cliché, how everything was good and peaceful for once, but I felt like everyone deserved a break. Plus, I needed to finish it on a happy note. If I didn't have school coming up, other stories to finish, and a life, this would have been longer. To tell you all the truth though, the story was planned up to the Niska part. **

**This chapter is officially the last one. I will not have an epilogue or a sequel, at least not for a while. I need to finish other stories before I think about writing anymore. I would like to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY LOVELY REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU ALL AND I THANK YOU! **

**-Lizzard Breath **


	20. AUTHORS NOTE

**To all my loyal readers and fans: **

I recently re-read this story and decided that I want to rewrite it. Some aspects are just too…outlandish to me now, and while I thought it was my best writing back in the day, my newer work definitely reflects more of how I write now, my newer style and my more mature style.

Review if you have any input on this, thank you. -smiles and waves-

The new story won't be published until I type at least half of it and I have to figure out the entire plotline before I publish it as well.

I have no idea what the new one will be called, and I'll update this with a chapter when I know. No worries, I won't delete this story! I like it and only have half the chapters still stored on my computer, so this is the only record I have lol.

**ANYWAY** I just thought I would tell you all. Continue liking this story, and keep an eye out for any new stories of mine that pertain to the wonderful world Josh Whedon created!

Love you all!


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